Why Donald Trump hasn't attended World Cup matches as first appearance date revealed

One of Donald Trump’s closest political allies has explained why the US President has been absent from World Cup matches.

The 2026 World Cup is almost two weeks old, with several teams having already played two group matches.

Haiti, Turkey, Tunisia and Jordan have been eliminated, while co-hosts Mexico and the USA, as well as Germany, France, Norway and Argentina, have all secured progression to the round of 32.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been one of the stand-out teams of the tournament so far, beating Paraguay 4-1 in their opening game before securing a 2-0 win over Australia last time out.

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Despite several celebrities and sports stars, including Trinity Rodman, Ciara, Marshawn Lynch and Robert F. Kennedy Jr, all being spotted inside Seattle Stadium, President Trump did not attend the match. Nor has he attended any other World Cup matches.

Ahead of the tournament, several decisions made by the Trump administration, including travel bans and the conflict with Iran, caused concern among supporters, while FIFA president Gianni Infantino was regularly spotted with the 80-year-old.

Despite Infantino being in regular contact with Trump, the pair have yet to be photographed together at the tournament. However, there is a reason why.

Why has Donald Trump been absent from World Cup matches?

Speaking to The Telegraph, Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House’s World Cup taskforce, explained that the President was enjoying the conversation surrounding his absence, saying: “He likes a good cliffhanger, right?”

The outlet claimed that Trump is unlikely to make an appearance at the tournament until the final in New York/New Jersey on July 19.

However, it is still possible that he could attend a match before then if the US reach the semi-final, which will take place in Dallas on July 14.

“The President is preoccupied with the US’s July 4 celebrations. The World Cup just isn’t on his radar at the moment,” a source said. “He will present the trophy at the final, but I don’t think we will see him before then. It’s possible he’ll go to a semi-final, but only if the US get that far.”

Of course, Trump and his government have been dealing with more pressing global issues, such as securing a ceasefire to end the conflict between the US and Iran.

Trump has also travelled to France for the G7 summit and celebrated his 80th birthday, but did find time to host UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is next on the list of major events in Trump’s calendar.

When further pressed on when Trump would appear, Giuliani added: “I know he’s got a couple of international trips that he has planned, as well as Independence Day, so the only thing I’ll tell you about my boss — and I’ve known him for, heck, 30 years, and he’s kind of like an uncle figure to me — is that he likes a good cliffhanger, right?

“He likes to leave people watching, so all I can tell you is: ‘Keep tuned in’, and I’m excited to see what the next steps are.”

Giuliani then refused to reveal whether Infantino had been informed of Trump’s plans for the rest of the tournament.

“The president of FIFA, Mr Infantino, and President Trump have a relationship themselves,” he added.

“It’s good to see that. They spoke earlier today [Friday]. From my standpoint, it’s helpful on my end because what the President has done is prioritise this tournament and understand just how big a World Cup is.”