President Donald Trump will attend the World Cup final on Sunday between Spain and defending champion Argentina, the White House confirmed on Thursday.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president would be in ​New York City on Friday to attend a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in Manhattan, ‌then be at Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J, Reuters reported.

The comments confirmed Trump’s expected participation after FIFA president Gianni Infantino said last month that he would present the trophy.

“We will be together with the president, enjoying the final and handing ​the trophy to the winner, of course,” Infantino said on June 23 on “Fox & Friends.”

Heads of state ​have a history of attending the finals and some have been part of the ⁠trophy presentation, including in Qatar in 2022 and Russia in 2018.

Neither Trump nor vice president JD Vance ​have previously attended any of the 102 games played thus far at this World Cup, which is co-hosted ​by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Members of the cabinet have appeared at games featuring the U.S. men’s national team in California and Seattle.

“His attendance will cap what has been the most-watched, most secure and most successful World Cup in American ​history,” Leavitt said.

The United States hosted the Men’s World Cup one previous time, in 1994.

Trump has attended ​multiple high-profile sporting events, including the Super Bowl, U.S. Open tennis tournament, Ryder Cup and Daytona 500, during his two presidential ‌terms. ⁠In November 2024, he was present for a UFC event at Madison Square Garden. Last month, he attended UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn, as well as Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.

Last summer, he was at the ​same venue as Sunday’s match ​for the Club World ⁠Cup Final and shared the stage as English club Chelsea raised the trophy.

Infantino partnered with Trump to announce the World Cup draw would be last December at ​the Kennedy Center in Washington. He also presented Trump with the first FIFA ​Peace Prize.

Trump acknowledged ⁠calling Infantino to review the red-card suspension of United States striker Folarin Balogun for a foul in the 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1.

Balogun was automatically banned for the following round of 16 match against ⁠Belgium ​on July 6. Infantino acknowledged receiving a call from Trump, who ​publicly lobbied for Balogun to play, but the FIFA president said he did not interfere with the decision-making process.

FIFA suspended the one-game ban ​on July 5, enabling Balogun to play amid the controversy. Belgium eliminated the U.S. squad 4-1.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced that Turhan Saleh has officially assumed his duties as the agency’s new Resident Representative in Afghanistan, effective July 15, 2026.

Saleh brings nearly three decades of experience within the United Nations system and has held a number of senior leadership positions at UNDP.

Before taking up his new post in Afghanistan, he served as Senior Adviser in UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Arab States, where he focused on transitions from UN peacekeeping and special political missions.

From December 2023 to March 2026, Saleh served as Deputy Director of UNDP’s Crisis Bureau, overseeing issues related to crisis operations, humanitarian-to-development transitions, crisis financing and strategic policy development. Prior to that, he was UNDP Resident Representative in Ethiopia from May 2019 to November 2023.

Since joining UNDP in 1997 as a Policy Adviser in the Office of the Administrator, Saleh has held several senior roles across the organization. These include Director of the Millennium Development Goals Unit, Deputy Director in the Division for UN Affairs, Country Director and Acting Resident Representative in Nigeria, Chief of the Country Support Team in the Regional Bureau for Africa, and Strategic Plan Coordinator in the Executive Office.

According to UNDP, Saleh has worked directly with four UNDP Administrators and contributed to the development of nearly all of the organization’s strategic plans over the course of his career.

Before joining UNDP, Saleh began his UN career with UNICEF in 1989. He worked in Ghana and Eritrea and contributed to UNICEF’s first country programme in post-apartheid South Africa. He also completed internships with UNICEF, the World Bank and the United Nations World Food Council.

Saleh holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in political economy from Cornell University, a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University, and also studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at University of Oxford.

His appointment comes as Afghanistan continues to face significant humanitarian and development challenges, with UNDP playing a key role in supporting livelihoods, basic services and community resilience across the country.

Saleh succeeds Stephen Rodriques, who served as UNDP Resident Representative in Afghanistan from May 2023. He has been appointed as UNDP Resident Representative in Bangladesh.