Spain striker Borja Iglesias joked that he would reluctantly shake US President Donald Trump’s hand in Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final against Argentina.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed last month that Donald Trump will present the World Cup trophy to the winner, while the White House confirmed on Thursday, July 16, that Trump will attend the tournament’s showpiece at New York New Jersey Stadium.
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“I don’t want to go to prison (laughs),” Iglesias said in an interview published with Spanish magazine Panenka (via RMC Sport). “I hope to greet him at a time when we are all very happy, and that it passes very quickly and I can forget about it.
“I don’t think this is the time to create controversy; people know perfectly well what I think. I would love to do many things, but the reality is that even if people think I am all-powerful, I don’t have that much power to tackle certain things,” he added.
As is customary, the FIFA World Cup trophy is handed to the winning captain by the FIFA president and the host country’s head of state.
In 2022, Gianni Infantino and Qatari head of state Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani handed the trophy to Lionel Messi, who captained Argentina to glory in Qatar.
FIFA’s decision to allow Donald Trump to present the World Cup trophy to whoever wins between Spain and Argentina will mark the second time the US president will present a FIFA trophy to the winners.
In 2025, Infantino and Trump together handed the FIFA Club World Cup trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James after the Blues saw off Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final.
Donald Trump tells FIFA to allow US host another World Cup
Donald Trump, on Friday, told FIFA to allow the United States to host another World Cup but without Canada and Mexico.
FIFA have already awarded the hosting rights of the 2030 FIFA World Cup to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with opening matches in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to commemorate the competition’s centenary. Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 edition.
“You should choose the United States of America again. This time we will leave Canada and Mexico out,” the US president said at Trump Tower in New York. “Pick somebody else for the next one, and that will take some of the anger, hatred and steam out of everyone.”
Trump added that Infantino had floated an idea of the United States and China co-hosting the World Cup.
“Gianni [Infantino] also had another idea, ‘We could do China and the US for the next time.’ So, you have a nice short flight in between games,” he added.
The US are co-hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada, marking the first time three countries have jointly staged the tournament.
Edited by Ezekiel Olamide
