"Trump has started again": 'US National Anthem' emerges after elimination from World Cup final... Fans worldwide furious

*This content was translated by AI.

Although the US men's national soccer team has already been eliminated, the US National Anthem will be played at the World Cup final. Criticism is pouring in that the world's festival has once again turned into a stage "for the United States and US President Donald Trump."

The UK outlet HITC reported on the 16th (Korea time) that "'Trump has started again'" and that "fans are furious over unprecedented changes announced ahead of the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup final."

The controversy began with the fact that the US National Anthem will be played during the final. The outlet stated, "FIFA announced it would hold a spectacular closing ceremony ahead of the final. Performers scheduled to appear include Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, Ice Spice, and Tom Cruise," but explained that "the decision for Jennifer Hudson to sing the US National Anthem has sparked strong backlash from fans worldwide."

Argentina and Spain will face each other in the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA, on the morning of the 20th.

Ahead of the final, a closing ceremony lasting as long as 90 minutes is scheduled to take place. Among them, famous US singer Jennifer Hudson will perform the US National Anthem. FIFA announced, "With a spectacular event, the largest FIFA World Cup in history will come to a close," and added that "global superstar Jennifer Hudson, who boasts an award-winning career, will sing the US National Anthem before the World Cup final."

Criticism has erupted over this. Generally, at World Cup matches, the national anthems of the two competing nations are played, raising questions about whether it is appropriate to separately perform the US National Anthem solely because the United States is the host country, even though the US did not reach the final.

This North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup has been marred by various controversies surrounding President Trump. A representative case is the revocation of the red card suspension for US striker Paulinho Valogon (AS Monaco).

When Valogon faced the crisis of being unable to play in the Round of 16 due to a red card suspension, President Trump admitted to having directly called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to demand a review of the sanction. Subsequently, FIFA unusually revoked Valogon's suspension.

There were also issues surrounding Iranian players. Amid military tensions between the US, Israel, and Iran, Iranian players faced difficulties in preparing for the World Cup normally due to visa and travel issues. Problems arose with the team's assembly, and variables emerged in operating the base camp, leading to criticism that the World Cup became entangled in political conflicts.

President Trump will also attend the final directly. He plans to present the World Cup trophy to the winning team along with In Pan-ti-no (Chairman).

Because of this, concerns are growing among soccer fans that the protagonist of the World Cup final may not be the players but President Trump himself. With the singing of the US National Anthem, President Trump's attendance at the final, and the trophy presentation all overlapping, it is said that the world's festival is effectively turning into a "Trump show."

The US sports outlet The Comeback pointed out that "President Trump has been an undeniable presence throughout the World Cup, and this continues to trigger fury in the global soccer community."

It further explained that "he has faced immense criticism due to FIFA's decision for President Trump to personally present the trophy to the winning team at the final, the treatment directed at Iranian players throughout the tournament, and the fact that Trump intervened in the process of overturning Valogon's suspension."

It added, "Even though the US did not qualify for the final, FIFA decided to play the US National Anthem, leading fans to suspect this decision is also linked to President Trump's influence and to express their fury once again."

Another UK outlet, The Guardian, also sent strong criticism by pointing out the excessively close relationship between President Trump and In Pan-ti-no (Chairman).

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*This content was translated by AI.