World Cup Story Feed
World Cup Story Feed
On the evening of June 12, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Katy Perry and Future roared during the opening show, while fans in the stands waited for the host to appear.
On the evening of June 12, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Katy Perry and Future roared through the opening show while fans in the stands awaited the host team.
At the same time in Washington, Donald Trump, just two days shy of his 80th birthday, was not watching the game. He was checking out UFC rehearsals.
The brawling in the octagon was clearly more to the president's taste than the passing and cutting on the pitch. It's unheard of in recent tournaments for the head of state of the host country to miss the World Cup opening match.
The president didn't show up, but the stands were packed with heavy hitters.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat in the VIP section, flanked by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on his left and Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin on his right. Bringing this cabinet lineup to watch the game was practically moving the Oval Office to the stands.
Before the match ended, Rubio met with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña in his seat. With visa policies tightening, having the Homeland Security Secretary in the VIP section—this wasn't just watching a game; it was bringing immigration officials to check passports. The seating chart made it clear who the match was meant for.
Trump offloaded the dirty work of the opening game, with its massive security pressure and immigration controversies, onto Rubio. But FIFA President Gianni Infantino had already confirmed that Trump would be at the awards podium for the final on July 19, 37 days later.
Avoid the opening, claim the final.
Infantino's pandering to power is no secret. At the 2025 Club World Cup, Trump showed up to cheer and was booed by fans, but Infantino didn't back down. In December of the same year, FIFA grudgingly awarded Trump a "Peace Prize." The Norwegian Football Association issued a public condemnation. Giving the FIFA Peace Prize to a man who loves octagon carnage—that's what FIFA is doing now.
As long as the final broadcast can capture the president lifting the World Cup trophy, Infantino can use that political endorsement to demand higher prices from sponsors. He doesn't care how ugly the process gets.
The bigwigs in the stands each got what they wanted; on the field, Mauricio Pochettino had no choice but to tough it out and finish the act.
Trump called Pochettino before the game to wish him "all the way to victory." That call was a set KPI. All Pochettino could do from the bench was make sure his players put on a respectable opening act.
4-1, the US team thrashed Paraguay, with forward Balogun scoring a brace.
The scoreboard looked good enough. But with Hollywood's opening show, diplomatic meetings in the stands, and the pre-booked awards podium for the final, a 4-1 win wasn't stealing the headlines.
Pochettino stood by the field watching his players celebrate. On July 19, the man who didn't watch the opening game would be at the final's awards podium, lifting the trophy above his head.