When the White House posted a picture of US President Donald Trump meeting with world leaders in the Oval Office at the White House this week, eagle-eyed football fans spotted an unlikely piece of silverware in pride of place.
The Club World Cup trophy, which Chelsea beat Paris St-Germain to win in July in New Jersey, can be seen on display, in the president’s office in Washington DC.
The image led many on social media to question why ‘Chelsea’s trophy’ resides in one of the most important offices in the world weeks after Enzo Maresca’s side lifted it at Metlife Stadium.
Following the final in July, President Trump said he was told he could keep the trophy in recognition of the United States hosting the month-long tournament.
“I said, ‘When are you going to pick up the trophy?’ [They said] ‘We’re never going to pick it up. You can have it forever in the Oval Office, we’re making a new one’,” he said in an interview with DAZN.
“And they actually made a new one. So that was quite exciting, but it is in the Oval [Office] right now.”
But, according to Fifa, that is not quite the case. There are in fact three Club World Cup trophies in existence.
The original engraved version is in Zurich, Switzerland, at Fifa’s headquarters, as is the custom with all Fifa trophies – including the World Cup.
One replica belongs to Chelsea and the holders paraded it during a pre-season friendly against AC Milan.
It is the third version that lives in the Oval Office in “recognition of the 2025 tournament’s exceptional hosts”, Fifa told BBC Sport.
The Club World Cup, which was held across 11 cities in the US, was called the “world’s most successful club competition” by organisers.
But it also came under criticism for its low attendances – there were more than a million empty seats during the tournament – and for the weather conditions and quality of the pitches in the US.
In an unusual incident, Trump presented Chelsea with the trophy but remained on stage after the presentation and celebrated with the players, who said they were “a bit confused”.
Following the Blues’ triumph, Trump presented the trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James before being invited to move aside by Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
But Trump remained alongside James and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, and applauded as James lifted the trophy, staying in position for a few seconds before he and Infantino left at the rear of the stage.
The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will jointly host the 2026 men’s World Cup next summer.
By BBC Sports
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