EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — President Donald Trump stood and saluted from a suite at midfield Sunday, briefly the center of attention amid the final match of a global competition that has been a precursor for a much bigger event next year.
Sunday’s FIFA Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium featured Chelsea FC defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0, culminating weeks of competition in U.S. stadiums. It was something of a test run for the World Cup, which will include many of the same top names in the sport playing on behalf of their national teams.
That’s why many world leaders and sports fans have been scrutinizing the club games for on- and off-field clues about America’s ability to host. The skepticism is driven by concerns over whether a president who has taken actions to close America’s borders and imposed wholesale bans on residents from some countries can host a quadrennial celebration of global camaraderie and athleticism.
In one indication of the mixed relationship the “America First” president has with the global game, some on Sunday cheered his attendance, chanted “USA! USA!” and turned to take photos. But when he appeared on the jumbo screen during the national anthem, boos rose up before the camera quickly turned elsewhere.
As Trump took the field with FIFA president Gianni Infantino after the match for the medal ceremony the crowd loudly booed Trump again as he pumped his fists and took the stage. Chelsea players gave one another confused looks as Trump continued to linger while they raised the trophy in celebration.
Next year’s multiweek event has many logistical challenges as it stretches over three host countries, including 11 U.S. cities. If the 2026 event is to be a success, it may rely both on Trump’s love of pageantry and his relationship with Infantino, who sat with him Sunday and who has spent more time with Trump during his second term than any president or prime minister.
Infantino — who needs a smooth relationship with Trump — has met with him at Mar-a-Lago and traveled with him to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Last week, he opened a new FIFA office in Trump Tower in Manhattan.
In recent weeks, complaints have already been raised about quality of the grass on the fields, the heat for midday matches, and partially filled stadiums.
The World Cup is likely to bring a host of other organizational and political challenges, especially amid the Trump administration’s harsh crackdown on immigration.
Will international fans and players be welcomed to stadiums in American cities that Trump has threatened over their more open immigration policies — and will the president be welcomed at an opening match played in Los Angeles, where he recently deployed National Guard troops?
What happens to the Iranian national team, which has already qualified for the World Cup, and the traveling fans who want to cheer their home country team but are banned from entering the United States? Other countries whose citizens Trump could ban — such as Ghana, Cabo Verde, and Egypt — might also qualify to be among the 48 nations competing.
And how will the United States coordinate with co-hosts Canada and Mexico during trade and immigration threats?
While Trump administration officials have sought to assure the world that they are capable of staging what they are calling “the largest sporting event in history,” Trump has also relished the uncertainty over how it will play out.
“Oh I think it’s going to make it more exciting,” Trump said in March during an appearance in the Oval Office with Infantino. “Tension’s a good thing.”
Trump, more than many presidents, has embraced sports as a cultural touchstone and a way to expand his reach. He has attended the Daytona 500 and wants to host a UFC match at the White House. He pushed Major League Baseball to reinstate Pete Rose, bashed NFL players for protesting racial inequality during his first term, and this year became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl.
He has been less connected with soccer — although golf caddies reportedly nicknamed him Pelé after seeing him frequently kick his ball onto the fairway — but has taken pride in hosting the World Cup. The event will come next summer as America celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, an event that Trump has also been heavily involved in planning, and two years before Los Angeles hosts the Olympics.
Trump in March appointed Andrew Giuliani, son of close Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, as executive director of a World Cup task force he created to oversee planning and coordinating. Trump’s signature legislation — the One Big Beautiful Bill — included $625 million for security and other costs related to the World Cup, and some of his immigration policies have included carve-outs for soccer players and coaches, even as people from their country could be barred from attending.
“We want these games to be safe and secure,” Giuliani said in an interview. “While yes, we want to make sure we welcome the world in, we also want to make sure we’re not sacrificing our national security posture.”
But there have been growing concerns that Trump’s immigration policies will dampen enthusiasm for an event that is marked by its global flavor, one where an Iranian can sit next to an American and watch their teams compete or where Argentines and Brazilians chant on subway rides to a stadium.
“The World Cup? You mean the cup where the world is not invited? Because that’s what this is,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, which has sent letters to FIFA urging it to pressure Trump to change his policies.
“Trump wants the glory and the swanning around with leaders and soccer players,” Worden added. “But the World Cup is supposed to be an inclusive celebration of humanity. And that inclusive celebration of humanity part is not something Trump is celebrating.”
Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman, said Trump is committed “to promoting national pride, hospitality, and economic opportunity.”
“These games will be a historic opportunity to unite the nation, celebrate America, and reinforce our status as a premier global destination for major events,” he said.
Giuliani has asked his staff to review what worked during the recent club games ahead of next year’s broader event, which World Cup organizers expect to attract far more people.
Giuliani said about a quarter to a third of those accredited to attend the Club World Cup matches during the past few months needed visas, and he helped ensure that State Department and FIFA officials updated the frequency of their meetings to address any processing issues.
“The visa process is extremely important in making sure that we are vetting people properly but also making sure we welcome the world here,” he said.
There is also worry that soccer matches could be targets for immigration enforcement. Ahead of Club World Cup matches last month, Customs and Border Protection wrote on social media that it would be “suited and booted ready to provide security for the first round of games,” which triggered concerns about arrests at stadiums. The post was deleted.
“Who wants to have to bring their passport to a Club World Cup game that’s supposed to be fun with your friends and family?” Worden said, cautioning that FIFA needs to help assure that “the World Cup games aren’t a magnet for ICE for agents to scoop up people who look Hispanic.”
Giuliani said immigration officials would not target stadiums where matches were being played.
“We’ve had 62 games at this point and that has not been an issue at all,” he said. “That was a narrative at the very beginning of this tournament that has been proven that this is not something we’re targeting here.”
Trump in June signed an executive order that restricts foreign nationals from 12 countries from entering the United States. Iran, which has qualified for the World Cup, is among the targeted countries, a list that could grow if Trump decides to broaden the order.
The order provides exemptions specifically for players and coaches in the World Cup, as well as support staff and immediate family members. But it doesn’t include fans. Human rights groups have also warned that fans from countries that are not officially banned from visiting might think twice, given Trump’s border policies.
Giuliani said that the U.S. is still working with FIFA and awaiting the results of qualification matches to figure out which countries will be competing, and how to handle administration policies with countries such as Iran.
“This is a dynamic situation right now,” Giuliani said. “This will have to be a conversation between some of the task force members and probably even the president himself in terms of what this looks like moving forward.”
Dan Merica contributed to this report.
