There are sporting outcomes and there are sporting outcomes that cause the internet to retrieve every Trump endorsement tweet and compile them under the heading “Trump curse undefeated,” and Spain beating Argentina 2-1 in extra time in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday night is the second kind, completing a run in which Trump publicly endorsed the team in the Super Bowl, the team lost; endorsed a team in the NBA Finals, the team lost; praised Messi and Argentina heading into the World Cup final, and watched Spain win while standing on the same pitch.
Trump presented the FIFA World Cup trophy to Spain’s captain Rodri alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino after the final whistle, per Fox News’s confirmed coverage, which produced photographs of Trump handing the silverware to the team he had not endorsed, having flown to New Jersey specifically to be present for the victory of the team he had also not endorsed. Per HuffPost, which confirmed the Trump curse conversation was trending by 10 p.m. ET Sunday, the internet’s response included: “So Donald Trump also showed up at the World Cup and was cheering on Argentina? Trump curse undefeated.” “Trump Curse: Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Cup.” “The jinx speaks.” All of this was directed at a president who arranged the tournament, accepted the FIFA Peace Prize from Infantino, called FIFA to reinstate a player whose team lost 4-1, and then flew to New Jersey to present a trophy to the side he hadn’t backed.
Separately, CENTCOM confirmed overnight that two US service members were killed by Iranian attacks in Jordan, with a third missing, per Fox News’s live blog updated at 12:57 a.m. EDT today. Iran struck US positions in both Jordan and Iraq with ballistic missiles and drones during the eighth consecutive day of mutual military strikes. Trump called the losses “tragic” and vowed to confront Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The World Cup trophy presentation and the service member deaths occurred in the same overnight period, producing a Sunday night that required the president’s attention in two different directions simultaneously.
The ceasefire signed at Versailles on June 17 lasted 21 days. The resumed conflict has now lasted longer than the ceasefire. Two American service members are dead. Spain are world champions.
When the president who arranged the tournament, endorsed the losing team, and presented the trophy to the winners also loses two service members to Iranian attacks on the same Sunday night, what exactly was the World Cup for?
Sources
Fox News: FBI boss Kash Patel details how the agency secured the FIFA World Cup
HuffPost: Trump’s Sports ‘Curse’ Trends Again After World Cup Final
