In August 2025, months before a single match kicked off on American soil, Donald Trump sat behind the Resolute Desk and pressed his cheek against the gold of the FIFA World Cup trophy. His eyes were closed. His red cap read “Trump Was Right About Everything.”

The occasion looked routine. Gianni Infantino had come to announce that Washington’s Kennedy Center would host the 2026 final draw, and that FIFA had opened an office inside Trump Tower. The cameras caught something the agenda did not list. A president reluctant to give the trophy back. When Infantino gently reminded him it had to return to the eventual champion, Trump kept insisting it was staying. “It fits very well on the wall right over there,” he said, picturing it “right below the angels.” He could not stop praising the metal either, insisting nothing else compared to the solid version.

The affection had a track record. Weeks earlier he had kept the original Club World Cup trophy in the Oval Office, and Chelsea, the side that actually won it, went home with a replica. He had also thrown himself into winning the hosting bid during his first term. For this president the tournament was a stage, and he will stand on the field in New Jersey on July 19 to co-present the trophy at the final.

Hold that image. Then ask the question this essay can raise without pretending to settle it. How much did the World Cup weigh on Trump’s decisions over Iran?

The blow that never landed

The war began on February 28, with joint American and Israeli strikes on Iran. Through the spring Trump escalated and pulled back in turns. In March he warned he would hit Iran’s infrastructure and put American troops on Kharg Island, then backed away and said a deal was close. He even told Iran’s national team to stay home from the tournament, for “their own life and safety.”

A larger blow always seemed one decision away. Israel, which had opened the war alongside Washington, wanted the finishing strike against the enemy it has named for decades. The expectation in those weeks........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)