The President of the United States, Donald Trump, presented the 2026 World Cup to the captain of the Spanish national team, Rodri Hernández, during a ceremony at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, following Spain's victory over Argentina by 1-0 in overtime of the final. The official White House account on X confirmed this with a post that garnered over 1.4 million views.
Spain thus conquered its second World Cup, 16 years after the title in South Africa 2010. The narrator of the official broadcast summarized it from the stadium: “A final act of this incredible summer of football for Rodri to lift the trophy and celebrations to begin here and abroad... Spain has won the World Cup!”
The goal that decided the final was scored by Ferrán Torres in the 106th minute of extra time, beating the Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez with a powerful shot over the top.
The match went into extra time after a scoreless draw in the 90 minutes of regulation, during which Argentina failed to register a single shot on target, an unprecedented occurrence in the history of World Cup finals. Additionally, Enzo Fernández was sent off in the 90+3 minute for a second yellow card, leaving the albiceleste team with ten players for extra time.
Trump shared the spotlight during the presentation with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, breaking the usual protocol of the organization. Both were greeted with a mix of applause and boos when they appeared on the giant screens of the stadium in front of more than 82,500 spectators, according to The New York Times. The moment when Trump looked down from the air at the MetLife Stadium filled to capacity, repeatedly saying the word "WOW," went viral on social media.
The presence of the leader was particularly striking given that just 11 days prior, he had labeled Spain a "lost cause" and Spaniards as "bad people" during the NATO summit in Ankara, demanding that all trade with the country be cut off due to President Pedro Sánchez's refusal to cede military bases for an offensive against Iran. Nevertheless, he fulfilled his role as the political host of the tournament—he was the only one of the 104 matches in the World Cup to attend in person—and arrived at the stadium aboard the presidential helicopter Marine One about 90 minutes before the start.
In the VIP box were the kings of Spain Felipe VI and Letizia, Princess Leonor, Infanta Sofía, Sánchez, the President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum, the Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rodri Hernández won the Golden Ball after completing over 650 passes with a 93% accuracy in eight matches. Kylian Mbappé won the Golden Boot with 10 goals, bringing his historical World Cup record to 22. The Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni acknowledged the defeat with sportsmanship: "Sadness, but we gave it our all. Eternal gratitude to these boys who reached another final and competed. They were better," he stated according to TyC Sports.
For Cubans on the island, the event was practically inaccessible. Cuba did not participate in the tournament after being eliminated in the qualifiers in June 2025, and the blackouts lasting over twenty hours a day during the World Cup prevented most from watching the matches live. Comments like "the blackout is the champion" captured the dark humor with which Cubans processed their forced exclusion from the biggest sporting event of the year.
Filed under: