FIFA Breaks 96-Year Tradition, Will Hand Out Winners' Rings at World Cup Final as Trump Confirms Attendance

All 26 FIFA World Cup Champion Will recieve a custom made ring.

Football is about to borrow a page from American sport. FIFA will present World Cup winners' rings for the first time ever when Argentina and Spain meet in Sunday's final at MetLife Stadium, breaking from the gold medal tradition the tournament has followed since 1930.

Thirty rings will go to the newly crowned champions and their staff. Fans get a shot at the moment too — 1,996 numbered replicas go on public sale, bringing the total run to 2,026 pieces, a nod to the year itself.

The ceremony will have a VIP guest. US President Donald Trump is set to attend and hand over the World Cup trophy in person, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed. It'll be his first appearance at any of the tournament's 102 matches — he skipped every US fixture, including the one that ended the host nation's run against Belgium in the round of 16.

His involvement hasn't been free of controversy. Reports say Trump personally called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to push for a review of the red card shown to US striker Folarin Balogun earlier in the competition — a call that's drawn criticism from people who feel politics has no business influencing officiating decisions.

Weather could still be a factor. Authorities have issued an air quality warning for the New York–New Jersey area as smoke from wildfires in Canada drifts south. FIFA says there's no plan to delay or move Sunday's match because of it.

For now, all signs point to kickoff going ahead as scheduled — a final that'll be remembered as much for a ring ceremony and a presidential guest list as for whoever lifts the trophy.