U.S. President Donald Trump weathered a mix of boos and cheers during the FIFA Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on Sunday following Chelsea’s dominating victory over Paris Saint-Germain F.C., and even stuck around when the team lifted the trophy.
Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino joined the players on the field after Chelsea’s 3-0 win over PSG to congratulate them, present PSG with its runner-up medals and hand Chelsea the championship prize.
During the ceremony, the president, still in camera shot, remained on stage, having planted himself in the centre of the moment, but was swiftly swallowed up by the players’ frenzied celebrations as Chelsea captain Reece James lifted the cup and Infantino stepped aside.
James’ teammate Cole Palmer could be seen saying “Wait, wait, what’s he doing?” to the captain before he held the trophy aloft, USA Today reported.
“Are you going to leave?” James asked the president, trophy in hand, but Trump stayed and continued clapping with the players until Infantino pulled him aside.
“I knew he was going to be there, but I didn’t know he was going be on the stand where we lift the trophy. So, I was a bit confused,” Palmer said, according to the American outlet.
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“I thought he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay,” James added.
Earlier in the day, the president and his wife, Melania Trump, were greeted by cheers upon their arrival at the venue in East Rutherford, N.J.
Trump waved to the crowd and pumped his fist as he entered his luxury box, where he and Melania watched the match alongside Infantino and his wife, Leena Al Ashqar.
Later, Trump faced a wave of boos when he was briefly shown on the stadium’s jumbotron as Chelsea raised the cup.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, NFL great Tom Brady and media mogul Rupert Murdoch were all seen in the president’s box.
In just over a year, MetLife will host the 2026 World Cup final, with earlier round matches to be played across North America, including in Toronto and Vancouver.
Chelsea, of the English Premier League, spoiled PSG’s bid to win its fourth major title of the season, exactly 100 days after PSG clinched Ligue 1 on April 5. The Paris team added the Coupe de France by beating Reims 3-0 on May 24, then romped over Inter Milan seven days later in the Champions League final.
Sunday’s match fell on the first anniversary of the assassination attempt Trump survived in Butler, Pa., while campaigning for president.
“It remains my firm conviction that God alone saved me that day for a righteous purpose: to restore our beloved Republic to greatness and to rescue our Nation from those who seek its ruin,” Trump said in a statement released Sunday night after he returned to Washington.
— With files from The Associated Press
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