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Trump exclusion from FIFA World Cup photo called into question

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump’s omission from the Spanish soccer team’s championship photo is drawing one last look at his impact on the 2026 World Cup.

The President lingered about on stage as Spain’s triumphant team waited to celebrate its thrilling win over Argentina at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. He was gently led away from the spotlight by FIFA President Gianni Infantino as Spain’s players jumped around with gold medals around their necks while loud music played. The moment was largely described as “awkward.”

Photos posted on FIFA’s X account show a dark blue suit sleeve that appears to belong to Trump in a lively team photo. Whether the image was cropped or shot to not include him is unclear. But he’s nowhere to be seen.

Outlets including Reuters reported that loud boos were heard when Trump and Infantino took the stage Sunday. There didn’t appear to be any animosity between those two and the Spanish players when trophies and medals were handed out during the post-game ceremony.

Trump is largely unpopular outside the United States. A Pew Research poll published in January found that only 23% of adults in 36 countries surveyed expressed confidence in his leadership ability. His approval rate at home is around 37%, according to Newsweek.

The President raised eyebrows by earlier inserting himself in the World Cup tournament by calling Infantino to complain after U.S. player Folarin Balogun was suspended over a hard foul. FIFA shocked soccer fans by later allowing Balogun to play.

Many soccer watchers were baffled when Infantino presented the U.S. President with the freshly invented FIFA Peace Prize after Trump expressed frustration over not being given a Nobel Peace Prize in December. The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran a couple months later.

Sunday marked the second time in as many months that the President was jeered by fans while attending a major New York-area sporting event.

Trump was also booed when he showed up at Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks play the San Antonio Spurs last month in game three of the NBA Finals. That was the only game in the series the Knicks lost.

Trump indicated Sunday that he thought Argentina would beat Spain.

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