Spain and Argentina meet in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, at 3:00 PM ET at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The United States didn't make it — Belgium knocked them out in the knockout stage. But FIFA confirmed two things for the final: Jennifer Hudson will perform the U.S. national anthem before kickoff, and President Trump will co-present the trophy to the winning captain alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino. World Cup finals open with the two competing nations' anthems — not the host country's. Canada and Mexico — the other two co-hosts — aren't getting their anthems in the program. The closing ceremony also features Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, Tom Cruise, and Post Malone.

1. This Is Standard Host-Nation Protocol (FIFA President Gianni Infantino)

Infantino says the host country's president has always been part of the trophy ceremony, and Sunday is no different.

Host-country presidents have always co-presented the World Cup trophy. Infantino put it plainly: "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." He and Trump are in contact "almost every day" during the tournament.

Trump already did this at the Club World Cup in June. He helped carry the trophy alongside Infantino to Chelsea captain Reece James when Chelsea won. White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt confirmed Trump will attend Sunday's final in person.

2. But the Anthem Is Different (EU Commissioner Glenn Micallef, Global Fans)

Playing America's anthem before a Spain-Argentina final — while Canada and Mexico get nothing — isn't tradition. It's an exception made for one co-host.

Fans and critics worldwide say this has never happened before. No prior World Cup final has opened with the host country's anthem when that host wasn't competing. Canada and Mexico co-hosted the same tournament, didn't reach the final, and their anthems aren't in the program. One fan's comment captured the global reaction: "The only anthems that should be sung are of those playing who reached the final."

Europe went on record against political interference in sport months ago. Glenn Micallef, the EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, responded after Trump called Infantino about U.S. striker Folarin Balogun's red card — and the suspension was lifted: "Decisions on sporting rules and sporting matters belong to sporting bodies, not politicians." He added: "Influencing sporting decisions would undermine the autonomy of sport." The anthem raises exactly the same question.

3. Infantino Can't Say No to Trump, and the Balogun Case Proved It (FairSquare, European Parliament Members)

The anthem and trophy ceremony are the most visible signs of something that started earlier: FIFA bending its own rules whenever Trump asked.

A formal ethics complaint now targets Infantino at the IOC. FairSquare, a London-based human rights nonprofit, filed the complaint on July 8, listing five specific violations of the IOC's political neutrality rules. The first: Infantino "possibly acquiesced to political pressure from President Trump to circumvent FIFA's on-field disciplinary rules" — specifically, when he helped reverse U.S. striker Folarin Balogun's red card. The second: Infantino promoted a FIFA fan site connected to a data-harvesting operation run by Trump-linked entities.

Fifty European Parliament members have backed the complaint. A prior complaint to FIFA's own ethics body, filed in December 2025, has gone unanswered for seven months. IOC President Kirsty Coventry said no complaints had yet been formally received but acknowledged: "We have been obviously watching everything play out."

Trump awarded Infantino the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in 2025. The two speak almost daily during the World Cup. For FairSquare and its supporters in the European Parliament, the trophy ceremony and anthem aren't a courtesy to a host nation — they're the latest proof that Infantino answers to Trump, and that FIFA's independence is the price.

Where This Lands

Infantino insists Sunday's ceremony is normal host-nation protocol, and Trump's trophy role has a precedent from the Club World Cup in June. The anthem is a harder case — critics say no prior final has opened with a host-country song when that host wasn't competing, and Canada and Mexico got no such treatment. For FairSquare and the European Parliament members pressing the IOC complaint, the ceremony isn't an isolated decision — it's the latest sign that Infantino has consistently bent FIFA's rules when Trump asked.

Sources