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The United States is co-hosting the biggest FIFA World Cup in history, the men’s national team is about to kick off its tournament on home soil, and the president won’t be there to watch.
President Donald Trump has confirmed he will not attend the USMNT’s opening match against Paraguay, scheduled for June 12-13 in the Los Angeles area. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the official US delegation instead, a decision the State Department has already confirmed in an official release.
Trump skipping this one is a notable departure from tradition for host-nation leaders attending their team’s opening World Cup match. The optics get more interesting when you consider who will be in attendance. Paraguayan President Santiago Peña is expected to be at the match, meaning a visiting head of state will be present while the host nation’s leader is absent.
No official explanation has been offered for the scheduling decision. The White House has not publicly detailed what competing obligations are keeping Trump from making the trip to Los Angeles.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, making it the first three-nation World Cup in the competition’s history. It’s also the largest World Cup ever staged.
The tournament runs parallel to the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations, a convergence that was supposed to amplify the patriotic spectacle of hosting the world’s game during America’s semiquincentennial year.
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