President Donald Trump will help hand the FIFA World Cup trophy to the winning captain on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Tuesday, marking a break from recent practice that had left the centerpiece moment of soccer's biggest event to the federation's chief alone.

The final remains scheduled for 3 p.m. ET at the home of the Giants and Jets, capping the first men's World Cup played on U.S. soil since 1994.

Infantino disclosed the plan during a "Fox & Friends" appearance, saying he and Trump would deliver the trophy "together" to the winning side.

The arrangement reverses the recent norm: In Russia, in 2018, and in Qatar, in 2022, Infantino handled the presentation alone.

The shift follows last summer's Club World Cup ceremony at the same stadium, where Trump joined Chelsea's celebration on stage after handing the cup to captain Reece James, lingering as players lifted it.

The presentation will close the largest World Cup ever staged, a 48-team field jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with the knockout phase opening June 28 and the championship match scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on July 19.

Heads of state have stepped in before, most notably Queen Elizabeth II in 1966 and Spain's King Juan Carlos in 1982, but the role faded as FIFA centralized the moment around its president.

Infantino and Trump have grown closer over the past year.

The FIFA chief presented Trump with the inaugural "FIFA Peace Prize" at the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 5, 2025, telling the president the global soccer community would back his diplomatic efforts.

The award drew criticism and an ethics complaint from the rights group FairSquare, which argued in a December filing that issuing the prize to a sitting political leader violated FIFA's neutrality obligations.

FIFA has not publicly disclosed the selection process.

Trump has been a steady presence at marquee sports events this month.

He attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 8, becoming the first sitting president to take in a Finals contest, and hosted UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14, an event timed to the nation's 250th anniversary and his 80th birthday.

He has yet to appear at a World Cup match, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended the U.S. men's opener.

The U.S. men's national team has handed the host country something to root for.

Mauricio Pochettino's side opened with a 4-1 rout of Paraguay, then beat Australia 2-0 in Seattle without injured forward Christian Pulisic, locking up the top spot in Group D before its final group match against Turkey.

The Americans next play in the round of 32 on July 1 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.