Key background
The confirmation from Infantino comes one day after both the Telegraph and New York Times published articles questioning Trump’s absence at the World Cup so far. The host nation’s head of state frequently attends the opening match of their home countries. Carney attended Canada’s opening World Cup match against Qatar on June 12, Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani did so in 2022 and Vladimir Putin attended his team’s opening game in Russia in 2018. The Telegraph called Trump’s absence “perplexing” considering he is “sports mad and ever eager for the global limelight,” and the New York Times pointed out that he previously indicated he was planning to attend several games. The U.S. team is currently at No. 13 in the FIFA rankings and is not considered a likely contender for the World Cup title—Polymarket puts the odds of an American victory at about 3%—so it’s unclear if Trump will see the U.S. play at all if he attends only the final match.
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CRUCIAL QUOTE
“I think you’ve got a really good chance of going all the way,” Trump reportedly told U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino and captain Tim Ream in a phone call earlier this month.
What to watch for
The U.S. plays next against Turkey in Los Angeles on Thursday and will play its first Round of 31 game on July 1 in San Francisco.
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CONTRA
Sheinbaum didn’t attend Mexico’s opening World Cup match against South Africa, either. Instead, she donated her VIP ticket to Yolett Cervantes Cuaquehua, a 21-year-old Indigenous woman from Veracruz, and watched the match with fans at a public viewing area in Mexico City.
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further reading
ForbesIranian Team Leaves Thank You Note For LA Despite Complaints Of Unfair Treatment At World CupBy Siladitya RayForbes11 World Cup Matches Where One Player Is Worth More Than The Entire Opposing TeamBy Madhulika PathakForbesCongo’s Shock Tie With Portugal Won A Polymarket Bettor $1 MillionBy Mary Whitfill Roeloffs