President Donald Trump appeared to crash the winning team’s trophy ceremony at the close of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
MSNBC reported that Trump has a friendly relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who invited him to present the trophy to English club Chelsea FC after the team won 3-0 against Paris Saint-Germain.
Why did Trump stay so long during the trophy lift ceremony?
The original plan called for Trump to hand the coveted prize to team captain Reece James and then leave the stage. Instead, he lingered with the team, creating an awkward moment as players hesitated to celebrate. Moments later, James lifted the gold-plated trophy skyward. Trump’s presence onstage took James and several of his teammates by surprise.
“They told me that [Trump] was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage,” James told The Athletic after the match. “I thought he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay. And that probably highlights how big the tournament is.”
Another top Chelsea player, Cole Palmer, also shared his thoughts with the outlet about Trump overstaying during the ceremony.
“I knew he was going to be here, but I didn’t know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy, so I was a bit confused,” Palmer said.
Trump received mixed reactions during the game
On the first anniversary of the failed assassination attempt on his life, Trump joined first lady Melania Trump and several high-profile guests in his suite at MetLife Stadium for the highly anticipated event. The crowd cheered him ahead of the match but booed him multiple times during the game, NBC News and The Associated Press reported.
Chelsea FC received a replica of the gold-plated trophy
Trump admitted he kept the original FIFA Club World Cup trophy after news broke that the one James lifted was a replica, with the real prize now sitting in the Oval Office. In an interview with DAZN, he revealed that Infantino initially asked him to hold the trophy temporarily but later told him he could keep it indefinitely.
“They [FIFA] said: ‘Could you hold this trophy for a little while?’ We put it in the Oval Office and then I said: ‘When are you going to pick up the trophy’, and [FIFA President Gianni Infantino] said: ‘We’re never going to pick it up, you can have it forever in the Oval Office,'” Trump told the outlet, according to The Daily Beast.
The original trophy was crafted in partnership with Tiffany & Co., featuring a central disc surrounded by three rotating outer rings and finished in 24-carat gold. The estimated cost is around $230,000, and if not returned, it may ultimately be stored in the National Archives.
The outlet reported that the president presented the possibility of signing an executive order to have soccer recognized officially as “football” in the U.S.
