SerpApi.Org
Spain star Lamine Yamal did not avoid shaking Donald Trump's hand after the World Cup final, contrary to posts claiming the teenager snubbed the US president and speculating he may have done so because of US policy regarding Palestinians. The posts cited as proof a video of the interaction filmed from behind Yamal that partially obscures Trump, but AFP photos and footage of the post-match ceremony show the pair did shake hands.
"Lamine Yamal did not shake hands with Trump; he avoided the US president," says the Bengali-language caption of a YouTube video shared on July 20, 2026.
The video, which has been viewed more than 334,000 times, appears to show Spain's 19-year-old winger Lamine Yamal going to collect his World Cup winner's medal. He is first met by FIFA head Gianni Infantino before briefly stopping in front of US President Donald Trump, who drapes the medal over Yamal's head.
According to the video's Bengali-language voiceover, Yamal did not shake Trump's hand. It speculates this may be because of Trump's "foreign policy towards Palestinians".
The clip was also shared in similar YouTube and Facebook posts after Spain's 1-0 win over Argentina in the World Cup final on July 19, with the US president then presenting the World Cup trophy to La Roja ( archived link ).
"Lamine Yamal did the right thing 100 percent," says a comment on one of the posts, while another says "Thanks Spain, and thanks Yamal."
There is strong support for the Palestinian people in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, and the government reaffirmed its "steadfast commitment to the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine" in July ( archived link ).
Yamal has also expressed support for the Palestinian cause in the past, most recently during his club side Barcelona's title celebrations in May when he waved a Palestinian flag during an open-top bus parade ( archived link ).
Trump, meanwhile, has firmly backed Israel despite growing international outrage over its offensive in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, in response to the October 7, 2023 attacks carried out by Gaza-based militants Hamas ( archived link ).
There was an international backlash when Trump said he wanted to take control of the Gaza strip and "permanently" resettle Palestinians in other countries ( archived link ).
The US president's Gaza peace plan -- which was endorsed by the UN Security Council in November 2025 -- does, however, include a path to a future Palestinian state ( archived link ).
The claims circulating on social media that Yamal avoided shaking Trump's hand are false, with the angle the falsely shared video appearing to have obscured the handshake.
Several AFP photos , taken from a different angle to the falsely shared video, show Yamal and Trump shaking hands as the teenager received his winner's medal.
Moreover, a keyword search on Google led to similar footage shared on the verified YouTube channels of the White House and Fox Sports showing the pair shaking hands (archived here and here ).
AFP has previously debunked other misinformation about the 2026 World Cup.
