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President Donald Trump Predicts 2026 World Cup Final Winner

Spain takes on Argentina in Sunday’s showpiece fixture and Trump has gone against the bookies.
Grey Whitebloom|
U.S. President Donald Trump is a fan of one player in particular.
U.S. President Donald Trump is a fan of one player in particular. | Mandel NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

U.S. President Donald Trump has tipped Argentina to win Sunday’s World Cup final, chiefly down to the involvement of a certain Lionel Messi.

Trump waxed lyrical about Argentina’s talisman during a bizarre pre-final press conference, taking particular pleasure in his match-winning assist for Lautaro Martínez in the semifinal against England.

“I would say that it’s hard to bet against Messi,” the President told Fox Sports ahead of kickoff for what will be his first match attended at this summer’s World Cup. “I watched that pass—I guess you’d call it a pass—that was exactly perfect.

“Although it takes some talent to hit the ball off the head coming at that speed. But that was perfect. If you had a strike zone, it was exactly where it ought to be. And I watched also just before that the way that he got away from the defender. He was very well defended. All of a sudden he’s standing by himself, and he kicked it perfectly.

“And it’s hard to bet against him. So I won’t pick sides, I just think it’s very hard to bet against Messi. He’s great.”

Messi’s talent and the recent winning record of this Argentina team certainly support Trump’s stance. The defending world champion has won the last three major tournaments its entered, scooping a pair of Copas América on either side of that triumph in Qatar four years ago. The last time Argentina lost a knockout match on this sort of stage was the 2019 Copa América final against Brazil. Yet, despite all that—and Trump’s billing—Messi and his compatriots are not the favorites.

Supercomputer Clashes With Trump in 2026 World Cup Final Prediction

After crunching the numbers of all 103 matches which have preceded the most important one, Opta’s supercomputer has come to a verdict. The cold, calculating machine isn’t willing to predict a landslide, but does clearly favor Spain.

The reigning European champion is given a 59.5% chance of claiming a second star this summer. Argentina’s hopes thereby stand at 40.5%. It’s not quite the flip of a coin, but should it come down to the lottery of penalties, Argentina would surely fancy its chances.

Spain has lost more men’s World Cup penalty shootouts than any other nation in the competition’s entire history—even surpassing England’s infamous spot-kick suffering. La Roja was dumped out of the past two World Cups on penalties and will naturally hope to end the spectacle before it comes to that.

Argentina, by contrast, relish such an occasion. Boasting a fearsome shot-stopping specialist in the form of Emiliano Martínez along with regular takers such as Julián Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, Lautaro Martínez and Enzo Fernánde, that confidence is justified.

Ironically, considering he has failed to convert half of the eight World Cup penalties he has attempted, Messi would arguably be Argentina’s weakest link in this scenario.

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Grey Whitebloom
GREY WHITEBLOOM

Grey Whitebloom is an Associate Editor for SI FC. He has more than half a decade of experience in sports media across all its various guises, from the fast-paced demands of news articles and match reports to in-depth research required for features. Whitebloom graduated with a First Class Honours from University College London and found himself named on the Dean’s List—which, despite his initial fears, was a form of praise rather than a punishment. He specialises in the Premier League and Champions League, while also boasting an extensive track record of La Liga coverage.

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