SerpApi.Org
President Donald Trump declared this year's World Cup the greatest in history "by far," despite his involvement in FIFA's disciplinary process having ignited the tournament's most significant controversy.
On Sunday, Spain secured its second-ever men's World Cup crown, narrowly beating Argentina 1-0 at MetLife Stadium. Trump wasted no time inserting himself into La Roja's post-match celebrations, positioning himself front and center as Rodri prepared to lift the trophy.
Posting on Truth Social on Monday, Trump labeled the World Cup a "spectacular success" before extending his gratitude to all those who contributed to hosting the event. Yet the POTUS conspicuously neglected to congratulate Spain on their historic victory, choosing instead to spotlight the growth of soccer across the United States, as per The Mirror US.
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"The World Cup turned out to be a spectacular SUCCESS! I want to thank all of those involved but, in particular, our GREAT Law Enforcement," he wrote. "The Respect that everyone has for them, together with their Love of our Country, kept this Great Championship the Safest and Most Spectacular World Cup in History, BY FAR!
"Thank you also to all others involved and, in particular, to young and dynamic Andrew Giuliani, working for the Government of the United States of America, and the fantastic President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, on a job well done!
"Few people will ever be able to accomplish what he has done in elevating the World Cup to a level that nobody thought was possible. Congratulations to all!"
Critics are likely to challenge Trump's assertion that the 2026 World Cup was the greatest in history, given that the tournament was mired in controversy both on and off the field.
Earlier this month, FIFA officials announced they would suspend U.S. Men's National Team striker Folarin Balogun's red-card match ban stemming from his challenge on Tarik Muharemovic during their 2-0 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32.
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Trump evidently played a substantial role in the governing body's about-face, having collaborated alongside commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and White House task force leader Andrew Giuliani to put together a legal team contesting the penalty.
Trump then contacted Infantino directly, informing him that an appeal had been filed while expressing his opposition to the red card.
Following Trump's phone conversation with Infantino, the latter was accused of breaching political neutrality rules in a formal complaint filed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Argentina's path to the final also featured no shortage of contentious moments, with Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan going so far as to suggest that referees made prejudiced decisions to "keep the world champion in the competition," while Swiss defender Manuel Akanji claimed everything was "against us."
Ticket costs were also a heated subject of discussion, as multiple ticket resale platforms indicated that the World Cup final represents the most expensive sporting event of all time.
Nevertheless, Trump stood firm on his assertion when speaking with reporters, declaring: "This was one of the greatest events of any kind ever held. There has never been anything like it - probably in terms of an event, let alone soccer or football, whatever you want to call it. But I thought it was incredible.
"It was four times greater than any FIFA ever held. And it's probably about five times, actually, they're telling me today. So we're very proud of our country. We're very proud of the job that was done by everybody. We congratulate Gianni Infantino and all of his staff and the incredible job they did. But this was one of the greatest events of any kind ever held."
