U.S. President Donald Trump will not attend the United States men’s national team’s opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Paraguay on Friday, according to World Cup Task Force CEO Andrew Giuliani.
The announcement confirms earlier indications that Trump would not be present at the fixture scheduled for Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California.
In his place, several senior U.S. government officials are expected to represent the administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin.
Speaking to TalkSport on Thursday, Giuliani said the president’s busy schedule was behind the decision but stressed that Trump would remain actively engaged with the tournament.
“He’s not going to end up attending the opening game,” Giuliani said.
“As we’ve said, his scheduling is tight. But I know he’s going to be engaged throughout this World Cup.”
He also suggested the possibility of Trump attending matches later in the competition.
“But the one thing, having known President Trump for now 30 years, what I can tell you is: expect the unexpected. Always expect a cliffhanger with him. Throughout the course of this tournament, it wouldn’t surprise me if we see him engage more and more with the World Cup.”
Trump’s absence from the United States’ opening game stands out given that leaders of host nations have often attended their teams’ first World Cup matches. In 2022, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was present for Qatar’s opener, while Vladimir Putin attended events during the early stages of the 2018 tournament in Russia.
The United States, one of the three host nations alongside Mexico and Canada, will begin its World Cup campaign against Paraguay before home supporters.
