Donald Trump was loudly booed by fans during the FIFA Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. As the U.S. national anthem played at MetLife Stadium, a camera showed Trump’s face on the big screen, and the crowd responded with loud boos. The reaction was clear and strong, even though moments later the crowd also began chanting “USA! USA!” as the anthem finished.
This public backlash happened exactly one year after a shocking incident where 20-year-old Thomas Crooks attempted to assassinate Trump. During a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Crooks fired at Trump, grazing his ear and tragically killing another person in the crowd. Crooks was quickly taken down and killed by snipers on site. At the time, Trump was the leading Republican candidate for the presidential election.
At the stadium on this occasion, cheers were first heard when three helicopters flew over MetLife Stadium around 2:30 p.m., signaling Trump’s arrival in New Jersey. He had been invited to the final by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and separately by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. Trump, who has shown strong support for FIFA since returning to office, stood proudly next to Infantino during the national anthem, saluting as a sign of patriotism.
It’s important to note that many of the fans in attendance were from England and France, there to support Chelsea and PSG. Still, the boos aimed at Trump were noticeable and widespread when his face appeared on the jumbotron, according to reports from the *Irish Star*.
This wasn’t Trump’s first appearance at a major sporting event during his second term in office. He’s already attended high-profile games like a college football match between Alabama and Georgia, a NASCAR race, and the Super Bowl where the Eagles faced off against the Chiefs.
This time, Trump showed his support for international soccer as the FIFA Club World Cup came to an end. The event also helped build momentum for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Ahead of the final match, FIFA opened a new office inside Trump Tower.
At a press conference held there, Infantino shared how Trump has supported the sport. He said Trump told him that his son is a big soccer fan, which made him take more interest in the sport too. Infantino added that Trump was a key figure in making both the Club World Cup and next year’s World Cup possible.
Infantino said Trump even created a White House task force, which he personally led, to help FIFA manage the huge logistics behind hosting these major events. “Without strong government support,” Infantino said, “you simply can’t organize tournaments of this size. We’re talking about thousands of people traveling, coming in and out for games.”
One concern that Infantino said still needs attention before the World Cup is the extreme summer heat. Some players have already complained about the high temperatures during this year’s matches. Infantino agreed the issue is serious and mentioned that FIFA is looking into using more covered stadiums during the daytime to help manage the heat. He promised that FIFA will study the situation and make necessary improvements to ensure a better experience for everyone next year.
