Chelsea captain Reece James issues clear World Cup warning after lifting trophy in the shadow of Trump

Reece James has spoken out about a key concern for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

Chelsea won the Club World Cup by beating European champions Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in New Jersey and James lifted the Blues’ second trophy of Enzo Maresca’s first season in charge at Stamford Bridge.

The shine was taken off by the presence of Donald Trump, who has been joined at the hip with moral guardian of football Gianni Infantino for most of this year and put himself centre-stage as James prepared to hoist aloft the golden gyroscope.

‘I thought he was going to exit the stage’

Apparently prompted by a puzzled Cole Palmer, James asked the President of the United States of America whether he was going to leave the stage.

Having played no part in Chelsea’s victory, one might suggest that it would have been the right thing to do. Marc Cucurella enjoyed the question but Trump didn’t budge.

“They told me he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage,” James told the media after the match in East Rutherford. “I thought he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay.”

The Chelsea captain’s rather generous interpretation is that Trump’s looming presence over the Blues’ moment merely shows how ‘big’ the Club World Cup is.

There have been a great many concerns about the competition, from its naked greed and commercial partnerships to Infantino’s Trump love-in and FIFA’s move into his most ostentatious property.

But when it comes to footballing worries and what they mean for the proper World Cup – which will take place primarily in the USA next summer – the climate and playing conditions are top of the list.

As a Club World Cup-winning captain, England international James understandably said some nice things about the venues and the organisation of the final but revealed one obvious concern in his post-match comments.

“The pitches are not so good,” he said. “Hopefully there are some changes for the World Cup next year.”

New York City FC aside, club football in the USA has gradually improved its pitches as a consequence of the proliferation of soccer-specific stadia in Major League Soccer.

But none of the US venues for the World Cup fall into this category. All 11 are either multi-purpose or American football stadia with higher capacities but pitches that are used for other things throughout the year.