American movie star Tom Cruise offered an uplifting speech before the World Cup tournament final on Sunday, emphasizing how soccer unifies the world.
“Football is a language spoken without words, a force that unites people,” Cruise said. “That turns strangers into friends and reminds us of what we ALL have in common,’
In honor of the World Cup finalists, Spain and Argentina, Cruise also spoke some Spanish, ending on a high note as he hailed the crowd for their “greatness.”
“This is football. This is unity,” Cruise said as he removed his glasses and gestured before the crowd. “And this — this is greatness.”
The United States hosted the World Cup for the first time since 1994 and the numbers show that it has been an all-around success between attendance records and viewership ratings.
President Trump also made an appearance on the field at MetLife Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday when he awarded Spain their medals and trophy o following the team’s stunning victory over Argentina. Per tradition, the leader of the host country often awards the winning team its trophy and medals at the conclusion of the World Cup final. Trump did not officially state which team he hoped would be victorious, but he did express his appreciation for Argentina superstar Lionel Messi and Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I got to see Pele play, and he was great,” said the president. “Look, these are great players, and there are others. Look at France; he had a rough game the other day, but he’s [Mbappe] certainly one of the greats. I get this information from my son. My son Barron is a tremendous soccer fan.”
Tom Cruise speaks before the FIFA World Cup 2026 final at the New York-New Jersey Stadium. Picture date: Sunday July 19, 2026. (Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)
“You have some other really incredible players playing here, but I would say right now, when you look, I’ve always liked Ronaldo, and I’ve always liked Messi. I met Messi recently, and I know Cristiano; they have a pretty good life. I think they have a pretty good life, actually, much easier than my life! I want to switch for about a month or so,” he added.
The president also hailed the World Cup a success, adding that the United States will be bidding to host again “immediately.”
“Based on the numbers, we will be requesting it again immediately. I said, to take out the shock, you could announce another country for the next one… but we have to do this again,” he added.