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 the announcement by the Department of State.
The match will take place on June 12 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 Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and Senator Markwayne Mullin.
The choice of Secretary of State is not by chance: Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants born in Miami in 1971, is a symbolically powerful figure for a tournament taking place on U.S. soil, which the Trump administration itself has connected 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, the group stage will conclude on June 25 against Turkey, with all matches taking place within the .
A diplomatic agenda within the stadium
Rubio's mission extends beyond the realm of sports.
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 the debut of his team 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 held several previous meetings since the beginning of the Paraguayan government in 2023, with the last one taking place in February of this year in Washington D.C. during an international meeting on cooperation in security.
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 jointly organized by three countries - the United States, Canada, and Mexico - and the first with 48 participating teams.
Days before the tournament started, on June 9, Trump was booed at Madison Square Garden in New York during a game of the NBA Finals, marking his first attendance at that event as a sitting president.
Despite the boos, Trump described the experience as "incredible."
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