President Donald Trump will be absent from Friday’s US World Cup opener against Paraguay in Los Angeles, according to sources familiar with the arrangements.
The first World Cup match hosted on US soil will proceed without the president, who has often championed the global tournament as one of the key international happenings occurring during his presidency.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to head the US delegation in Trump’s stead, the State Department confirmed.
The move to bypass the tournament comes as the administration continues to navigate issues that have accompanied it, such as issues over visas and travel for some nations and delegates involved in the games.
The president of Paraguay, Santiago Pena, is reportedly in attendance, his office having confirmed his travel to Los Angeles on Thursday on a four-day trip, the World Cup opener being just one event of the scheduled itinerary. The US is co-hosting the enlarged 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico.
