EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Chelsea star Cole Palmer was like much of the world wondering why President Donald Trump was obliviously standing in the middle of their trophy celebration after winning the FIFA Club World Cup.
“Wait, wait, what’s he doing?” Palmer said to Chelsea captain Reese James before the customary celebration soccer clubs perform when commemorating a major title.
“Are you going to leave?” James asked Trump before hoisting the golden-globed trophy. Trump smiled and clapped amongst the Chelsea players before FIFA president Gianni Infantino eventually pulled him away.
“I knew he was going to be there, but I didn’t know he was going be on the stand where we lift the trophy. So, I was a bit confused,” said Palmer, the Club World Cup Golden Ball winner after scoring two goals with an assist in Chelsea’s dominant 3-0 win over the reigning UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, July 13.
Added James: “I thought he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay.”
Leave it to Trump to deliver this perplexingly hilarious and cringeworthy moment that easily is the lasting image of this competitive, yet controversial, Club World Cup hosted in the United States this summer.
The Club World Cup showed the U.S. is capable of being a soccer nation, but Trump’s unawareness shows how far away soccer is in this country compared to the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL among sports viewers.
The World Cup will take over the country next summer — from June 11-July 19, 2026 — with Trump and Infantino continuing to be the leading faces outside of some players such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (if they both play).
Trump was booed loudly multiple times by the 81,118 fans at MetLife Stadium — when he first appeared on the Jumbotron next to Infantino in a suite and when he walked on the field for the postgame festivities.
“It was a little bit of an upset, I guess you would say,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac after the game. “But it was a great, great match, very well played, tremendous crowd.”
Infantino believes his budding relationship with Trump is necessary in order to run massive tournaments such as the Club World Cup and World Cup.
FIFA estimates 6.5 million people are expected to attend World Cup matches next year, while ongoing immigration issues and customs raids leave an uninviting impression on many wishing to represent their countries in this country.
From a sporting perspective, FIFA still has plenty to do to ensure a positive experience for the players and clubs involved in the World Cup.
Before Trump’s poor soccer etiquette stole the show, the stories of the Club World Cup were photos of empty seats at NFL-sized stadiums, how players coped with playing in high temperatures in the height of the summer heat, and how the tournament overloaded the players’ packed schedules.
Nearly 2.5 million fans attended Club World Cup matches, Infantino said before the final.
More important, the Club World Cup culminated in a final that delivered the unexpected.
Chelsea shocked PSG with three goals in the first 42 minutes — despite initially being a +460 underdog, according to BetMGM.
Palmer is already a household name in England and Europe. But this breakout performance in the Club World Cup final put the rest of the world, including the United States, on notice of the mild-mannered, softspoken star with the coldest goal celebration in the sport.
“Obviously, it’s a great feeling — even better because everyone doubted us before the game,” said Palmer, who folds his arms and rubs his biceps to warm himself up after each goal metaphorically making light of his name — and his game — being ice cold.
This was supposed to be the other way around.
Heading into the final, PSG was lauded for being the best team in the world. The Parisians won every trophy they could earlier this year in dominant fashion.
Many believed they would cap their historic season by waltzing into the venue, and putting on another clinical performance like they did when they won the Champions League final 5-0 against Inter Milan, beat Lionel Messi and Inter Miami 4-0 earlier in the Club World Cup and dominated Real Madrid 4-0 in the semifinals.
Instead, Palmer and Chelsea put on a show with a trophy celebration soccer fans will surely remember when they reflect on the Club World Cup.
At least Trump has a year to figure out how he’s going to top this moment, or wisely bow out of the way when the World Cup trophy is awarded after the final next year.
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