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Donald Trump will not attend the debut of the U.S. men's national team at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and has tasked Secretary of State Marco Rubio with leading the official government delegation at the opening match against Paraguay, according to announced by the State Department.
The match will take place on June 12th at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles, as part of Group D of the tournament.
Rubio will be in Los Angeles on June 12 and 13 leading the government delegation, accompanied by the Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, and Senator Markwayne Mullin.
The choice of Secretary of State is not random: Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants born in Miami in 1971, is a symbolically powerful figure for a tournament held on U.S. soil that the Trump administration has tied to its political legacy.
Trump himself stated in January of this year that during his first term he had "fought to bring the FIFA World Cup 2026" to the United States.
After their debut against Paraguay this Friday, the U.S. national team will return to the field on June 19 against Australia.
Then it will close the group stage on June 25 against Turkey, all the matches within the .
A diplomatic agenda within the stadium
Rubio's mission extends beyond the sports arena.
The Secretary of State will take advantage of his presence in Los Angeles to hold a bilateral meeting with the President of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, who is traveling to the United States from June 11 to 15 to witness his team's debut in the tournament.
According to information released by the State Department, the dialogue between Rubio and Peña will address "topics related to regional security, trade, investments, and cooperation in emerging technologies."
Both officials had previously held several meetings since the beginning of the Paraguayan government in 2023, with the latest taking place in February of this year in Washington D.C., as part of an international meeting on security cooperation.
The World Cup kicks off without Trump in the stands
The World Cup tournament begins this Thursday with the match between Mexico and South Africa at the Estadio Ciudad de México, marking the first World Cup organized jointly by three countries - the United States, Canada, and Mexico - and the first with 48 participating teams.
Days before the tournament kicked off on June 9, Trump was jeered at Madison Square Garden in New York during an NBA finals game, marking his first attendance at the event while in office.
Despite the boos, Trump described the experience as "incredible."
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