FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Donald Trump with the famous World Cup trophy on Friday, but the U.S. President then threatened to keep it and not give it back
President Donald Trump didn’t want to give the FIFA World Cup trophy back to Gianni Infantino(Image: Annabelle Gordon/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino if he could keep the FIFA World Cup Trophy after seeing it for the first time on Friday, and said he wouldn’t be giving it back.
Trump and Infantino met at the Oval Office on Friday and announced that the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw would take place on Dec. 5 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. All 48 qualifying nations will be drawn into groups during the ceremony before the tournament starts next summer.
The U.S. hosted the FIFA Club World Cup this summer, and Trump attempted to get his hands on that trophy after gatecrashing Chelsea’s winning moment. Now, Trump joked to Infantino that he wouldn’t give back the most prestigious trophy in soccer history.
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Infantino presented the FIFA World Cup to Trump, but first added context. “This is the Winners’ Trophy, it is the trophy that the winner of the FIFA World Cup wins,” Infantino said.
“Only the FIFA President, the presidents of countries, and then those who win, can touch it. This is for winners only, and as you are a winner, of course, you can as well.
“It’s heavy; the last one who lifted that was Lionel Messi of Argentina, and now it is here in the Oval Office.” Trump then asked if he could keep it, and after Infantino laughed, the U.S. President said that he wasn’t giving it back.
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“Can I keep it? We’re not giving this back,” Trump said. “That goes really well with the ball over there. That’s beautiful, that’s a beautiful piece of gold.”
Before making the announcement, it was believed that the draw for the FIFA World Cup would take place in Las Vegas. When the U.S. last hosted the competition in 1994, the draw occurred near the strip in Nevada.
This time, FIFA agreed to host the draw at the Kennedy Center, where Trump is chairman. While soccer isn’t the national sport in the U.S., football, basketball, and baseball are more popular, Trump admitted that the FIFA World Cup is the greatest competition of all.
Trump called the FIFA World Cup the “biggest event in sports”(Image: © 2025 Bloomberg Finance LP)
“It’s the biggest, probably the biggest event in sports,” Trump said. “It’s a tremendous honor to bring the global event and this incredible group of people and these unbelievable athletes – the best athletes in the world – to the cultural center of our nation’s capital.”
Infantino also admitted that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is the most anticipated in history, and was delighted that the Kennedy Center was chosen as the venue for the draw. “We are excited to host the most anticipated Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup in history in the cultural and entertainment heart of the United States, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC,” Infantino said.
“The draw is a major tournament milestone and one that will continue the remarkable build-up to the biggest sporting event ever, as we get set for many landmark FIFA events across North America throughout 2026.
“We look forward to welcoming the team delegations, our partners, global media, and, uniquely, fans representing each of the 16 wonderful Host Cities, to the capital of the United States for this significant occasion.”