​Fifa will present World Cup winner rings to the champions of Sunday’s final between Argentina and Spain, an event that will be attended by Donald Trump. In American sport, winner rings are a longstanding tradition; the NFL’s Super Bowl victors are regular recipients of such rings, and FIFA’s plan mirrors that approach. Thirty rings will be produced for the world champions, with an additional 1,996 rings made available for fans to purchase. Each ring will incorporate a mini World Cup trophy within its design and will feature an engraving on the band.
President Trump, who is slated to present the trophy, has not attended any of the 102 World Cup games thus far, having missed all of the United States’ matches before they were eliminated by Belgium in the last 16. Although there is a weather warning in New York regarding air quality from Canadian wildfires, there is no indication that the final at MetLife Stadium will be affected. FIFA president Gianni Infantino had already stated that Trump would attend the final, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has since confirmed his presence.
The relationship between Infantino and Trump has been central to the most controversial moments of this summer’s World Cup, with the U.S. president phoning the FIFA chief to request a review of United States striker Folarin Balogun’s red card. The subsequent decision to suspend Balogun’s automatic ban drew heavy criticism and sparked questions about the tournament’s integrity. Balogun was allowed to play in the knockout match against Belgium, but the United States fell to a 4-1 defeat. No other red or yellow cards from this World Cup have been suspended, despite France and England appealing to have their own incidents reviewed.
There is ongoing debate about England’s performance—some players have been disappointed with tactics, and questions have been raised about the team’s overall quality. Meanwhile, discussions continue about which World Cup stars could move this summer. Trump has a well-known history of attending major sporting events, having appeared at the Super Bowl, the US Open, the NBA Finals, the Ryder Cup, and having hosted UFC events at the White House during his two terms as president.
It is common for heads of state in host countries to attend World Cup finals, and this edition’s USA co-hosting with Canada and Mexico means the final two games are being played in the United States. England meet France in the third-place match in Miami at 22:00 BST on Saturday, while Argentina face Spain at 20:00 on Sunday. Both matches will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with live text and radio commentary available on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 Live, and the BBC Sport website and app.
As the tournament ends, BBC Sport will continue to cover football for better search engine optimization, ensuring ongoing coverage beyond the final.