The Times reports that UEFA President Aleksandr Čeferin did not attend the 2026 World Cup final due to the cancellation of the red card of US national team player Folarin Balogun before the match against Belgium (1:4) in the 1/8 finals.
İdman.Biz reports that US President Donald Trump personally appealed to FIFA President Gianni Infantino to reconsider the issue of punishing Balogun.
It is reported that the relationship between Čeferin and Infantino is very tense, and Balogun's punishment was the last straw. In addition, Čeferin is said to be disappointed with the US authorities' decision not to allow Somali referee Omar Artan to participate in the game. The UEFA president is also dissatisfied with FIFA's policy of increasing the number of World Cup participants and the organization's pricing policy during the tournament.
In the 2026 World Cup final, the Spanish national team defeated the Argentine national team 1-0. The game took place at the "MetLife" stadium in East Rutherford, USA.