TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A number of posts on Instagram [archive] and Facebook claimed that the Spanish National Team edited a photo celebrating their 2026 World Cup victory by removing US President Donald Trump. The posts contained two photos: the first shows Trump standing to the right of the Spanish players, and the second shows Trump not visible in the picture.
"The Spanish National Team removed Donald Trump, who was actually present, in the official photo celebrating their 2026 World Cup victory," wrote one account on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Did Spain really remove Donald Trump from the picture?
FACT CHECK
Tempo's Fact Check team verified the claim using a Google reverse image search and information from credible sources. The results showed that the Spanish National Team did not edit their victory photo to remove Donald Trump. The two photos were taken at different times. In one photo, Trump has moved away from the team, while the photographer focused on the Spanish players.
Donald Trump Presents World Cup Trophy
After Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final on July 19, 2026, Donald Trump presented the trophy alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino. In the video of the trophy presentation ceremony broadcast on TVRI Nasional, precisely at the 9-minute mark, Trump is seen lingering on stage for quite some time.
Trump then stood next to the Spanish players until Infantino gestured for him to move away. Footage of the same moment from different angles is also available on the YouTube channels of Diario AS and Fox 5 New York.
The FIFA and Spanish national team social media accounts then posted a photo showing only the players without Trump. In the photo posted by FIFA, only part of Trump's black suit remained visible at the edge of the image. However, FIFA and the Spanish national team did not digitally remove Trump from the photo. When the photo was taken, Trump had already moved away to a corner of the stage.
Two Photos Taken at Different Times
The two photos circulating on social media were taken from different angles and times. The differences are evident in the poses of the Spanish players and the smoke and confetti surrounding the stage.
The first photo was taken just as the confetti cannon had just been set off. Trump was still standing close to the Spanish players. White smoke billowed along with golden confetti showers on the right and left sides of the stage.
The second photo was taken seconds later, when the white smoke began to clear. During this time, Trump had moved away from the Spanish players.
CONCLUSION
Tempo concluded that the narrative of Spain removing Donald Trump from the 2026 World Cup celebration photo is misleading.
The Spanish national team did not edit the photo by removing US President Donald Trump. The two photos shared were from two different angles. The second photo shows Trump's absence because he was further away and the photographer was focused solely on the Spanish national team.
TEMPO FACT CHECK TEAM
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