Donald Trump refuses to leave stage at World Cup celebration, loudly booed by enormous crowd

Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino were loudly booed at yesterday’s World Cup final when they took to the pitch to award the trophy to the victorious Spanish team.

Trump’s arrival at the stadium was heralded by the thumping rotors of Marine One flying over the crowd around 45 minutes before kick-off. Accompanied by Melania Trump, he watched the game from a glass enclosure with Infantino, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

After the final whistle blew, Trump and Infantino emerged onto the pitch for the presentation. Video from the event indicates they did not receive a positive reception.

“They’re going to edit him out of that…”

Trump is by now no stranger to being booed at sporting events. He was met with an unhappy crowd when he attended the 2025 US Open, and followed that up with more booes at a Commanders game he attended in November.

The World Cup crowd also reacted negatively when Trump attempted to join the Spanish team on the podium as they celebrated. Trump has form for this, trying the same routine on Chelsea FC at last summer’s Club World Cup.

Infantino took the stage to try to gently lead Trump away from the celebrations, but Trump refused to move. Eventually, as the happy Spaniards danced behind him, he left. As an Australian commentator noted, “They’re going to edit him out of that…”

This proved somewhat prophetic, as the official Spanish football X account celebrated the win by posting an image that did not feature Trump:

But, whatever the reaction from the crowd, Trump attending the World Cup final is a historic event, as no sitting president has ever attended one held on home soil. The last time the United States hosted in 1994, then-president Bill Clinton dispatched his vice president, Al Gore, to deliver the trophy.

Overall, the World Cup has defied pessimistic predictions about poor ticket sales, transport woes, and immigration concerns for fans. However, the United States team’s successes were somewhat overshadowed by the huge controversy generated by Donald Trump admitting to pressuring Infantino to get a red card suspension overturned.

Trump got his way, leading to widespread accusations and corruption from national soccer bodies. But, in the end, Trump’s intervention didn’t do much to stop the United States from being tossed out of the World Cup by Belgium in a 4-1 trouncing.