FIFA has introduced several notable changes to the World Cup format compared with past tournaments. The expansion to 48 national teams drew early criticism from supporters, but the event has since delivered surprises that renewed fan enthusiasm. In another shift, FIFA president Gianni Infantino will not hand the trophy to the champions by himself.
At the previous two World Cups, the FIFA president alone presented the trophy. Host nation leaders were present on the pitch but did not join the ceremony. Infantino has now chosen to restore the pre-2018 custom under which the hosting head of state shares the presentation.
United States President Donald J. Trump will join Infantino in presenting the trophy to the winning team. Although Mexico and Canada are co-hosts, their heads of state will not participate in this aspect of the protocol. The move returns FIFA to a long-standing practice observed from 1934 through 2014, with limited exceptions.
“We will be together with the president, enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner, of course, together. We are together all the time. That’s always been the plan—and that’s how it’s always been done in the past—for the president of the country hosting the final to present the trophy together with the FIFA president,” Gianni Infantino said, according to The Guardian.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks about the 2026 World Cup with U.S. President Donald Trump
Which country presidents have presented the FIFA World Cup?
The decision prompted complaints from some fans who view it as politically motivated rather than sporting. Yet the change reinstates a tradition sustained by FIFA for decades. Trump will therefore not be the first head of state to present the World Cup, but the latest in a succession of leaders who have done so.
Although the shared presentation was common for years, a 32-year gap separated the 1934 and 1966 tournaments. This was not a FIFA policy but resulted from extraordinary events such as World War II from 1938 to 1949. From 1950 to 1962, FIFA presented the trophy alone to avoid political involvement, a posture shaped by the postwar context.
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