For the past month, the eyes of the sporting world have been on the United States for the inaugural edition of the new-look Club World Cup. The tournament has served as a trial run for next year’s World Cup and US President Donald Trump has been a prominent face throughout the month’s action.

Ahead of Sunday’s final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, the White House confirmed that Trump would attend the showpiece game. He and First Lady Melania Trump traveled from a Trump-owned golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey to watch the game at MetLife Stadium.

Trump first appeared on the in-stadium screens shortly before kick-off, just ahead of the singing of the national anthem. The reception for the US President was not entirely positive, with some booing and loud whistles clearly heard from sections of the stadium.

On Saturday, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino appeared for a rare press conference at Trump Tower in New York City. He refused to answer any questions about the controversial awarding of the upcoming World Cups in 2030 (host nations in three continents) and 2034 (hosted by Saudi Arabia). However he did pay tribute to Trump during his remarks.

“Where can I start?,” Infantino began. “If you want the title, as we are in Trump Tower, then you can say, ‘The golden era of global club football has started’.”

He continued: “President Trump will be at the final. He loves soccer — in his first term as president, there was a soccer goal in the White House garden."

“President Trump is the president of the U.S., one of the host countries for the World Cup, and he immediately embraced the Club World Cup as well.”

Trump and Infantino appear to be closely aligned as the United States prepares to host the World Cup in 2026. For the FIFA president it represents a key opportunity to truly ‘sell’ the game of soccer in the US and he is stopping at nothing to ensure the support from President Trump for next summer’s tournament.

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