World Cup The President of the USA, Donald Trump, will not be present at the opening match of the USA national team against Paraguay this Friday, in the World Cup being co-hosted with Canada and Mexico. On Wednesday, The Athletic reported that President Trump did not plan to be at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would attend in his place. Andrew Giuliani, CEO of the World Cup task force, confirmed the absence, citing Trump’s busy schedule as the reason. However, he expressed hope that the American President would become increasingly involved with the World Cup as the tournament progresses. “He will not be present at the opening match,” Giuliani told British radio Talk Sport. “As we said, the schedule is tight. One thing I can tell you, knowing President Trump for 30 years, is: expect the unexpected. With him, always expect tension until the last moment. During this tournament, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him getting more involved,” he added. It is unusual for the head of state of a host country to miss the first match of their team in a men’s World Cup, the publication notes. The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, attended in 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin was in the stands in 2018, and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was present in 2014. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also did not attend her country’s opening match yesterday – the 2-0 victory over South Africa on Thursday. Instead, she chose to give her ticket to a young indigenous girl who won a national contest and watched the game in a fan zone in Mexico City. Trump has attended several high-profile sporting events, the latest being Game 3 of the NBA Finals this week at Madison Square Garden in New York, where he was booed by the crowd.
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