When the final whistle blows at the New York-New Jersey Stadium this Sunday, either Argentina’s Lionel Messi or Spain’s Rodri will ascend the podium to lift the most coveted prize in sports- FIFA World Cup Trophy. But the trophy presentation itself is set to make history before a single medal is handed out.
The White House has officially confirmed that U.S. President Donald J. Trump will attend the final between Spain and Argentina, where he will jointly present the FIFA World Cup trophy directly to the winning captain alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
By stepping onto the stage, Trump will become the first United States president to ever hand over the FIFA World Cup trophy.
Why will Trump be the first US President to present the FIFA World Cup Trophy?
While the USA previously hosted the tournament in 1994, President Bill Clinton did not present the trophy, leaving Vice President Al Gore to handle the presentation duties alongside FIFA’s João Havelange at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
This historic handoff represents a major return to a prestigious global tradition. For decades, the presence of the host nation’s head of state handing over the gold was the defining image of the tournament.
From royalty to revolutionary leaders, here is how Trump’s history-making moment fits into the complete, century-long ledger of world leaders who have presented the World Cup trophy.
The Heads of State Who Presented the FIFA World Cup Trophy
| Year | Host Nation | Head of State / Royalty | Winning Captain |
| 1930 | Uruguay | FIFA President Jules Rimet (no head of state presented; trophy handed to the Uruguayan Football Association) | José Nasazzi (Uruguay) |
| 1934 | Italy | Prime Minister Benito Mussolini | Gianpiero Combi (Italy) |
| 1966 | England | Queen Elizabeth II | Bobby Moore (England) |
| 1974 | West Germany | President Walter Scheel | Franz Beckenbauer (W. Germany) |
| 1978 | Argentina | President Jorge Rafael Videla | Daniel Passarella (Argentina) |
| 1982 | Spain | King Juan Carlos I | Dino Zoff (Italy) |
| 1986 | Mexico | President Miguel de la Madrid | Diego Maradona (Argentina) |
| 1990 | Italy | President Francesco Cossiga | Lothar Matthäus (W. Germany) |
| 1994 | United States | Vice President Al Gore (representing Bill Clinton) | Dunga (Brazil) |
| 1998 | France | President Jacques Chirac | Didier Deschamps (France) |
| 2006 | Germany | President Horst Köhler | Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) |
| 2010 | South Africa | President Jacob Zuma | Iker Casillas (Spain) |
| 2014 | Brazil | President Dilma Rousseff | Philipp Lahm (Germany) |
| 2018 | Russia | FIFA President Gianni Infantino (President Vladimir Putin was on the pitch for the medal ceremony but did not present the trophy) | Hugo Lloris (France) |
| 2026 | United States | President Donald J. Trump | Sunday Night |
Why Is There a Gap Between 1934 and 1966 ?
There is a distinct 32-year gap where no heads of state presented the trophy. This was a result of global conflict and a rigid shift in FIFA protocol:
The World War II Hiatus (1938–1949): Following Italy’s victory in 1934, only one more World Cup was played before global conflict halted sports. At the 1938 final in France, it was FIFA President Jules Rimet, not French President Albert Lebrun, who presented the trophy to Italian captain Giuseppe Meazza.
The Era of the FIFA President (1950–1962): When the tournament returned, FIFA strictly centralised the post-match presentation ceremonies. Rather than involving local political figures, the honour of handing over the “Jules Rimet Cup” belonged almost exclusively to the heads of football’s governing body. Rimet presented it himself in 1950 and 1954, followed by FIFA Presidents Arthur Drewry (1958) and Sir Stanley Rous (1962).
How FIFA Treated Putin and Trump Differently
The Moscow scene in 2018 is the key to understanding why Trump’s role this Sunday is being billed as such a departure.
Gianni Infantino took charge of FIFA in 2016, and Russia 2018 was his first World Cup as president. From that final onward, he presented the trophy himself rather than deferring to the host head of state, and he repeated the arrangement at Qatar 2022.
Vladimir Putin in 2018 and, four years later, Qatar’s Emir were both prominent figures on the pitch, but neither placed the trophy in the winning captain’s hands. FIFA has since described that arrangement, spanning both tournaments, as its “recent protocol.”
Trump’s involvement breaks that pattern. Infantino has framed the decision to jointly present the trophy with Trump as a deliberate return to an older custom, one that predates his own presidency, pointing specifically to King Juan Carlos in 1982 and Queen Elizabeth II in 1966 as the precedent being revived.
By that framing, it is Putin and Qatar’s Emir who were the exceptions to a century-long norm, not Trump who is receiving special treatment.
Whether the arrangement holds beyond this World Cup remains to be seen. FIFA has not indicated whether a joint presentation by the host nation’s leader and its own president will become the standard going forward, or whether 2026 is itself a one-off shaped by the closeness between Infantino and Trump.
On Sunday at MetLife Stadium, Donald Trump will revive the grand theatricality of the political handover, officially stamping his name into a century-long ledger of world leaders on football’s greatest night.