Seth Meyers mocks Trump after viral World Cup caption
Seth Meyers roasted President Donald Trump’s awkward World Cup trophy moment on Late Night, branding him the “sports reaper,” as a Guardian photo caption about Trump and FIFA’s Gianni Infantino went viral after Spain’s 2026 final win over Argentina and social media piled on.
Key Takeaways
- The Guardian captioned a photo of Infantino with Trump: he is “not part of the Spanish national team.”
- Seth Meyers called Trump a “sports reaper,” tying losses to teams the president backed.
- Trump lingered beside Spain’s celebration; Infantino steered him out of frame.
- FIFA’s posts appeared to crop Trump out; the White House later shared photos featuring him.
- An Australian broadcaster was caught saying Trump would be edited out of the moment.
Spain beat Argentina in overtime at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, then shared the stage with Trump and Infantino for the medals and trophy. Instead of stepping aside, Trump stayed with the winners as confetti fell—an image many viewers called awkward.
That clash of optics is what BlasterPost’s Fintech & Crypto Alerts desk is tracking as the clip keeps circulating. Late Night host Seth Meyers turned the boos and stage scramble into a punchline package that amplified the Guardian gag.
What did the Guardian’s viral caption say?
Buried in the Guardian’s World Cup live blog was a Shutterstock photo by Javier García showing Infantino talking with Trump amid gold confetti. Spain’s players were celebrating off to the side, out of that frame.
The paper’s line read: “Gianni Infantino carefully explains to Donald Trump that he is not part of the Spanish national team.” The joke landed because, moments earlier, Trump had remained beside Spain while they lifted the trophy, as if sharing the credit.
Infantino eventually pulled Trump out of the shot—the instant García captured. Reddit and X users praised the wording as “caption of the year,” while others tied it to Trump’s recent NATO-summit digs at Spain and his sudden photo-op enthusiasm.
How did Seth Meyers frame Trump’s World Cup night?
On Monday’s Late Night, Seth Meyers joked that the crowd booing Trump might have been yelling “Move!” He labeled a familiar pattern: the president backs a side, then it loses—from the Knicks to the U.S. men to Messi’s Argentina—plus a folded U.S.F.L. team. “He’s a sports reaper,” Meyers said.
Meyers also mocked video of Infantino trying to clear Trump from Spain’s lift, comparing it to prying Gollum from the Ring, and noted captain Rodri helping usher him off. He jabbed at the timing too: after cool relations with Spain, Trump stood beside the champions “like Forrest Gump during the history montage.”
Why did FIFA’s photos and the White House clash?
According to Forbes, FIFA’s social posts of Spain with the trophy at MetLife looked carefully cropped to exclude Trump (and Infantino). Spain’s own Instagram celebration shots also left him out; the Spanish men’s team removed him from an official X photo as well.
Australian commentator Claudio Fabiano was overheard saying, “They’re gonna edit him out of that.” On Monday, the White House posted six final photos that all included Trump—two focusing only on him, and only two showing the Spanish team.
Crowd boos met Trump and Infantino on the screen and on the field, even as a Spanish player mimicked the president’s “Trump dance.” The viral Guardian caption and Seth Meyers’s “sports reaper” bit turned that uneasy handoff into the week’s defining meme.