Trump says World Cup made US a 'soccer country' as he presents trophy to Spain President Donald Trump presented Spain with the World Cup 2026 trophy after its victory over Argentina on Sunday, declaring the tournament showed the United States had become "a soccer country." The final capped more than a year of logistical planning by US, Canadian and Mexican hosts amid controversy over US immigration restrictions on some fans. President Donald Trump presented the World Cup trophy to Spain, the winner of Sunday’s final against Argentina. But to him, the real victor of soccer’s premier tournament just might be the United States.

“It turned out we were a soccer country, and I think it’s going to remain,” Trump said Friday at a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in New York City. “This has really brought the world together.” For the White House, Sunday’s match was the culmination of well over a year of navigating a litany of logistical challenges alongside co-hosts Canada and Mexico for what would be the biggest World Cup in history. It had to balance the Trump administration’s hard-line migration policies that barred fans from some World Cup qualifier countries from entry into the United States.

Spain won the tournament with a 1-0 victory over defending champion Argentina. After Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented them with the trophy, Trumpstood alongside the team as they jumped up and down and gold confetti shot out of a cannon. Trump arrived at Sunday's final with a flyover in the presidential helicopter, Marine One.

Before the game even kicked off, Trump was already proposing another US bid to host the tournament, sending a nudge to Infantino. “I had a great idea for Gianni: You have to do two countries. Announce us again next time, and then announce another country after that.

It’ll take out some of the anger and the shock,” Trump said on Fox Sports. “Based on the numbers, we will be requesting it again immediately.” The president declined to pick sides in the final but said it would be difficult to beat Argentine superstar Lionel Messi. Trump got a close look at the World Cup trophy when it was presented to him at his box seat during the first half.

Video footage showed the president smiling and patting the gold trophy as it was held up to him. Also in the box were first lady Melania Trump and Infantino, among others. The White House faced warnings from human rights groups, and the tournament confronted backlash over high ticket prices.

For months, Trump flirted with the idea of moving games out of cities that did not cooperate with federal immigration authorities, and in the weeks before the tournament’s start, local authorities sparred with FIFA over high transit costs, heightening tensions even more. As the first games were preparing to begin, the administration continued to find itself under global scrutiny for its visa decisions, such as denying entry to a referee from Somalia who had won accolades for his officiating. The pressure increased after Trumplaunched a war with Iran, leaving the administration to grapple with an Iranian team whose fans and some supporting personnel were barred from the US and that ultimately was based across the border in Tijuana.