U.S. President Donald Trump has once again drawn criticism from sports fans around the world. During the 2026 North and Central America World Cup championship ceremony, which was supposed to be a moment solely for the champions, he remained on the stage until the very end instead of stepping aside.
President Trump attended the final match of the “2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup” between Spain and Argentina at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the afternoon of July 19 EST, watching the game and taking part in the tournament’s closing ceremony.
The match ended with Spain securing a 1-0 victory through Ferran Torres’ winning goal in the first minute of extra time. Spain, which displayed perfect organization by conceding just one goal across eight matches from the group stage through the final, lifted the World Cup trophy for the second time in its history, 16 years after winning the 2010 South Africa tournament.
Argentina, meanwhile, drew global attention with Lionel Messi’s “last dance” as it attempted to win back-to-back World Cup titles following its 2022 Qatar victory. However, the team was completely dominated by Spain in the final and finished as runners-up.
This tournament marked a historic moment as the first World Cup hosted across three countries — the United States, Mexico and Canada — and featured 48 participating nations.
The closing awards ceremony was attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, U.S. President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. At the meaningful event, Trump’s excessive desire for attention once again drew criticism.
Trump presented medals to players from both the runner-up Argentina and champion Spain teams, and also joined Infantino in handing the World Cup trophy to Spain captain Rodri. The issue came afterward.
Even as the players prepared to lift the trophy, Trump did not move away from the center of the team. Rodri lightly pushed his back and politely asked him to step aside, but Trump moved slowly while seemingly shouting words of encouragement.
Unable to watch any longer, Infantino rushed over and encouraged Trump to leave the stage. However, Trump remained beside the team until the end, eventually staying through the trophy celebration and the moment when confetti was released.
This was not the first time Trump’s “desire for attention” has drawn criticism.
After the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, Trump also remained on stage during Chelsea players’ championship celebration. At the time, the entire team looked toward Trump as if implicitly asking him to move aside, but he stayed and ultimately continued the celebration alongside the players until the end, drawing criticism from sports fans.
