U.S. President Donald Trump is keeping the original FIFA Club World Cup trophy in the Oval Office, while the winning team, Chelsea, received a replica.
This comes after Trump confused the players by staying through the trophy lift on Sunday.
The final match of the tournament took place on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3-0.
Highlights
- U.S. President Donald Trump is keeping the original gold-plated FIFA Club World Cup trophy in the Oval Office, while Chelsea received a replica trophy.
- The trophy, designed with Tiffany & Co., features a key unlocking rotating rings and cost around $230,000 to make.
- Trump was booed multiple times during the final, reflecting mixed reactions from fans during the event at MetLife Stadium.
Donald Trump is keeping the original FIFA Club World Cup trophy, while winners Chelsea received a replica
Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
After the match, Trump appeared onstage with FIFA President Gianni Infantino to present the trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James.
But the trophy that James held up was not the original.
Trump revealed during a live interview with broadcaster DAZN that FIFA had already given him the real trophy to display in the White House.
“They [FIFA] said, ‘Could you hold this trophy for a little while?’ We put it in the Oval Office and then I said, ‘When are you going to pick up the trophy?’ and [FIFA President Gianni Infantino] said, ‘We’re never going to pick it up, you can have it forever in the Oval Office,’” Trump explained.
“And they actually made a new one [for Chelsea] but right now [the original] is in the Oval,” Trump added.
Image credits: Michael Regan - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
The trophy is gold-plated and was designed in partnership with Tiffany & Co. It includes a central disc with three rotating rings and reportedly cost $230,000 to make.
FIFA has not officially commented on whether Trump is allowed to keep the trophy permanently.
Infantino first brought the trophy to the White House in March to mark 100 days before the start of the new, expanded version of the Club World Cup. Since then, the trophy has stayed in the Oval Office.
Infantino also presented Trump with the official match ball.
“So today is 100 days to go for the new competition (FIFA Club World Cup 2025) that we created, FIFA Club World Cup, with the best teams and players in the world,” Infantino had said.
“So we can show this unique trophy, it’s not like any other trophy, it is a unique trophy, with a key. There is no other sports trophy like this.”
The trophy, designed by Tiffany & Co., is gold-plated and cost $230,000
The key unlocks the rotating rings inside the trophy, which appears flat when locked.
That is not all. The Athletic reported that Infantino also handed Trump a medal after the trophy ceremony. It is unclear if he has kept it.
During the post-match celebrations, Trump remained onstage while Chelsea’s players celebrated, even though he was asked to step away. This caused visible confusion among some players.
Cole Palmer, who scored two goals and won the Golden Ball for best player of the tournament, said afterward: “I knew he was going to be here, but I didn’t know he’d still be on the stand when we lifted the trophy, so I was a bit confused.”
Reece James also commented on Trump’s behavior. “They told me that he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage, and I thought that he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay,” James said, according to PA Media.
The crowd at the stadium reacted negatively to Trump’s presence. He was loudly booed during the national anthem, when shown on the big screen, and again during the trophy presentation.
Trump was booed multiple times during Sunday’s final
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
Trump attended the final with first lady Melania Trump and several allies. Infantino sat beside him in the VIP box.
In 2026, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico will host the FIFA World Cup. The final match of the big tournament will also be played at MetLife Stadium.
FIFA recently moved part of its New York operations into Trump Tower, and Infantino has visited Washington, D.C., multiple times this year.
He has said that being close to the president is “absolutely crucial” for the success of the 2026 World Cup.
Trump also joked during the event about issuing an executive order to change the name of soccer to “football” in the U.S.
The final match marked the first anniversary of the attempted assassination of Trump at a campaign event in Pennsylvania.