The Athletic, the sports department of The New York Times, stated that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, is not expected to attend the American team’s debut at the World Cup. The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, will be present at the match against Paraguay, scheduled for Friday (12), at 10pm.
The United States is in Group D, alongside Paraguay, Australia and Türkiye. The tournament starts this Thursday (11), with the duel between Mexico and South Africa, at 4pm.
According to four people familiar with the presidential agenda interviewed by the vehicle, the expectation is that Trump will not attend the match. The Republican, however, has not yet publicly confirmed whether he will be present at the game.
The same sources admit, however, that plans may change. In the last three World Cups, the heads of state of the host countries attended the debut of their teams: the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in 2022; Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018; and Dilma Rousseff, then president of Brazil, in 2014.
In this edition, the Cup will be played in three host countries (USA, Mexico and Canada). According to AFP, the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, will not participate in the opening ceremony.
The White House was approached by The Athletic to comment on the matter, but did not comment.
In a statement, the State Department said that “the World Cup is a historic moment for the Trump administration.”
The president of the United States maintains a close relationship with the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino. In December 2025, the republican received the organization’s Peace Prize.
On Monday (8), Trump was booed during an NBA finals game. In the Club World Cup final in July, it was also the target of protests.
