US President Donald Trump has been absent from World Cup 2026 matches during the first 11 days of the tournament, despite his strong association with the event and his having previously been dubbed the "football president" — all while the US national team has made a strong start at the World Cup with two consecutive victories.
The Athletic reported that Trump's absence from the stands drew attention, particularly after he announced, when forming a White House task force to oversee the tournament's organisation, that he wished to attend more than one match at the World Cup, describing it as one of the greatest sporting events in the world.
Trump had been a prominent figure in football matters in recent months, hosting FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the White House on multiple occasions. He also kept replicas of the World Cup and Club World Cup trophies in his office, appeared at the tournament's draw ceremony, and received a peace award presented by FIFA.
In contrast to his high-profile appearance at the Club World Cup — where he took part in the final ceremony and trophy presentation — Trump did not attend the US national team's opening match against Paraguay in Los Angeles, which ended in a 4-1 victory for the United States. He did, however, place a call to coach Mauricio Pochettino and team captain Tim Ream to encourage the players ahead of their campaign.
The White House offered no official explanation for Trump's absence from the Paraguay match, but The Athletic noted that his commitments to other events — including a UFC event as part of the United States' 250th anniversary celebrations — may have made travelling to Los Angeles more difficult at that time.
Trump was also absent during the US national team's 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle, a result that secured the host nation's passage to the knockout rounds. During the same period, he attended the unveiling of a new Boeing 747 set to join the US presidential fleet.
Despite Trump's absence from the stands, a number of administration officials attended tournament matches, while the White House continued to engage with the national team's results on social media, celebrating the side's strong start at the World Cup.
Andrew Giuliani, director of the White House's World Cup task force, told The Athletic that Trump is enthusiastic about the US national team's campaign, adding that the presence of administration officials could increase as the tournament progresses.
The timing of Trump's first appearance at a World Cup 2026 venue remains undecided. The Athletic suggested he may delay his attendance until a later stage of the tournament, or possibly until the final itself, scheduled to be held at MetLife Stadium on 19 July.