Trump Seen Quietly Pocketing FIFA Medal After Revealing That White House Also Kept Club World Cup Trophy

Ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup, President Donald Trump has sparked multiple controversies with soccer fans.

The president was on hand at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey over the weekend to present the trophy to the winners of the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup. The 32-team tournament was ultimately won by Chelsea, who delivered a 3-0 rout of Paris Saint-Germain in the title game on Sunday, July 13.

When Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino were finished distributing championship medals to the winning team, Trump was left with one in his hand. Rather than hand it back, the president stashed it in the inside pocket of his suit jacket, drawing criticism from viewers.

“My god Trump really pocketed one of the championship medals meant for the players smh,” one X user wrote, while another quipped, “He’s like a kid trying to blow out all the candles at another kid’s birthday party, making it about himself, trying to take all the credit.”

The move came after the president claimed, in a mid-game interview, that he had the original Club World Cup trophy at the White House, and that FIFA had created a replica to present to Chelsea.

“[FIFA] said, ‘Could you hold this trophy for a little while?’ We put it in the Oval Office and then I said, ‘When are you going to pick up the trophy?’ and [Infantino] said, ‘We’re never going to pick it up, you can have it forever in the Oval Office.’ ”

The trophy in fact has been on display since it was delivered to Trump in March. It was next to the presidential desk as Trump was visited by the Italian football club Juventus last month, ahead of their Round of 16 knockout loss to Real Madrid.

The FIFA Club World Cup trophy was also on display on May 30, when Trump and Elon Musk held an Oval Office press conference to mark the Tesla CEO’s last day as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency — just before the two had their public falling out.

Trump’s controversial moves at the Club World Cup — and the fact that he was booed by what was nearly a hometown crowd — have some on edge as the U.S. prepares to co-host the main event, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, next year.

In addition to tension among soccer fans, there is global concern about the Trump administration overseeing an international tournament at the same time they are implementing foreign travel bans and ramping up immigration raids.

Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement last month, “FIFA should publicly acknowledge the threat U.S. immigration and other antihuman rights policies pose to the tournament’s integrity and use its leverage with the U.S. government to ensure that the rights of all qualified teams, support staff, media, and fans are respected as they seek to enter the United States regardless of nationality, gender identity, religion, or opinion.”

While all three North American nations are sharing hosting duties for the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament, it is certainly the U.S. of it all that has caused the most concern.

The opening match of the World Cup is set to be played in downtown Los Angeles, where Trump recently deployed National Guard troops to shut down protests against his deportation policies.

Additionally, Mexico is both a host nation and a contender to perform well in the tournament, yet Mexicans are one of the most-targeted nationalities by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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Earlier in July, 90 civil society groups signed an open letter urging FIFA to press Trump on his immigration and travel policies ahead of the massive sporting event.

“We call on FIFA to use its influence to encourage the U.S. government to guarantee the fundamental rights of the millions of foreign visitors and fans who seek entry to the U.S. to attend the tournaments, and those of the constitutional rights of the many immigrants who already live, work, and contribute meaningfully to the cities selected to host them,” the letter read.