Thought the drama over a red card suspension for a U.S. soccer star was the epitome of FIFA World Cup politics? The political backdrop around the July 19 final is likely to be just as thick and thorny.
The men’s national soccer teams from Spain and Argentina will face off for the golden trophy, with the two countries standing as polar political opposites and President Donald Trump in the middle, literally.
The global power politics tension will draw attention, just as the suspension of the suspension of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun over his red card expulsion in the round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun was to have sat out the next knockout stage match against Belgium, but Trump’s intercession got him reinstated.
The reversal was controversial and drew outcry. And now comes the decisive match between the Iberian and Southern Cone countries.
Here are five reasons why the final may also get shrouded in geopolitical melodrama.
Buy World Cup tickets
Trump has been caustic toward Spain’s government
Trump and the European allies have had a flinty relationship over tariffs, defense funding and other issues during both of the American president’s two non-consecutive terms. Spain has arguably been Trump’s biggest antagonist.
Madrid has not committed to earmarking 5% of its gross domestic output to its military, which Trump has demanded of the Old World’s nations. Trump has also threatened to levy punitive duties on Spanish imports into the United States.
Most recently, the government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez refused to allow the U.S. military to launch operations against Iran from bases in Spain because a conflict not supported by the United Nations charter would violate international law. Trump was angered by that decision, and he said the country is “a terrible partner.”
He then threatened to cut off commerce and tourism with Spain on July 9 while at a NATO gathering in Ankara, Turkey.
“I don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he bristled. “Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits.”
Sánchez’s office announced on July 16 that the Spanish government leader would attend the final at the New York New Jersey Stadium. Also attending will be Spain’s royal family, King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía.
Milei reportedly will watch the match in Buenos Aires.
Trump, Argentina’s Milei are besties, and Elon Musk, too
By contrast, the president counts Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, as a devout ideological, political and commercial ally.
Like Trump, Milei is brash, if not polarizingly outspoken, and employs similar scorched earth political tactics in dealing with critics and opposition political leader and factions.
It was Milei who, famously or infamously, gifted DOGE leader Elon Musk a chainsaw at a U.S. conservative conference in 2025. Musk then paraded on stage in sunglasses lifting and wielding the chainsaw.
At the time, the now-first ever trillionaire led a U.S. government cost-slashing ad hoc department. Called DOGE, the efforts to reduce budget spending was a fiasco that resulted in cuts that had to be rescinded and fell far short of Musk’s bragging that he could cut trillions from U.S. annual spending.
In February, the U.S. and Argentina signed a sweeping trade pact that cut tariffs on more than 1,600 Argentine products and quadrupled the annual quota of Argentine beef entering American markets at lower duties. Last year, the Trump administration granted Buenos Aires a $20 billion lifeline to help bolster Argentina’s currency.
Is Lionel Messi MAGA?
Lionel Messi made his first visit to the White House this past spring after he and Inter Miami were invited to honor their 2025 MLS Cup victory.
Messi, captain of Argentina’s national team, has long been silent on politics, and his views have never been widely publicized. He was largely quiet during the White House visit.
Messi presented Trump with a pink Inter Miami soccer ball during the East Room ceremony. Trump noted that his youngest son, Barron, is a big fan of the Argentine before name dropping one of Messi’s rivals, Cristiano Ronaldo, who Trump had hosted in the Oval Office in November 2025.
Nonetheless, in a politically polarized and divided moment the soccer icon’s appearance alone sparked rumors, commentary and speculation.
Former Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano, a Messi teammate on the national team and Barcelona FC, said the visit followed “tradition” and nothing more when asked about it earlier this year.
“I thought we would talk about football but I guess I’m not lucky. We were following the protocol that is practically a tradition for a team to visit the White House when it becomes champion,” Mascherano said.
Ambassadors to Spain, Argentina are decidedly pro-Trump
Both U.S. ambassadors to Spain and Argentina are decidedly Trump supporters.
Physician an entrepreneur Peter Lamesla serves the top U.S. diplomat in Spain. He is a Mar-a-Lago member.
Benjamín León Jr., the founder of a chain medical clinics in South Florida, serves as U.S. ambassador to Spain. León initially was a donor to then-U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential run, but subsequently has financially backed Trump and other GOP candidates.
Trump in the World Cup trophy presentation spotlight
The Balogun red card issue, which became a fiasco for FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, will not be the only time Trump takes over the spotlight in this summer’s World Cup.
Infantino, who has gushed about Trump and presented him with a peace prize last December, confirmed the U.S. president will co-present the trophy to the winning team’s captain on the field. In the past, the leader of the host country has been present on stage to congratulate the teams, but has not “co-presented” the coveted trophy.
Trump’s presence had already elicited commentary on social media, especially in light of the red card disaster and the president’s awkward moment at another FIFA tournament last year in the United States.
In the summer of 2025, the Zurich-based global soccer governing body hosted its World Cup for club teams in the United States. When Premier League team Chelsea won the championship in New York, Trump joined Infantino for the FIFA Club World Cup trophy presentation on the field.
But rather than exit center stage after the trophy was handed to the Chelsea players, Trump clumsily remained on stage with the players during their celebration. A photo of the iconic trophy hosting moment later circulated had removed the president from the image.
Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: All eyes on Trump at World Cup trophy presentation at Sunday’s final
Reporting by Antonio Fins, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Antonio Fins, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
