NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday his focus will be “on the game” rather than on President Donald Trump’s expected attendance at the World Cup final, set to take place July 19 at MetLife Stadium, which has been renamed New York New Jersey Stadium during the tournament.

Although Trump’s been involved in the World Cup from afar and has a close relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the president has yet to attend any of the matches. Trump is slated to attend the final and hand out the trophy, Infantino has said. Spain, Argentina, France and England are the final four teams left in the tournament, with the finalists set to be determined later this week.

Asked if he plans to speak with or sit with the president at the game Monday, Mamdani replied that his attention “will be on the game.”

“I anticipate just watching for 90 or 120 or maybe even penalties as well,” the mayor said at a Coney Island press conference.

Trump’s relationship with Infantino has been the subject of scrutiny. The United States’ top goal scorer, Folarin Balogun, received a red card in its round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina that would have made Balogun ineligible for the next game, against Belgium. But the president reached out to Infantino and the suspension was rescinded. The USMNT went on to lose that match.

Mamdani, a huge soccer fan, has attended matches in his capacity as mayor. In total, eight games will be played at MetLife Stadium.

Despite their political differences, Mamdani has maintained a mostly amicable relationship with Trump, who appeared enamored with him after their first meeting last year in the Oval Office.

“I prefer not to speak, if I speak I get in trouble,” Mamdani said in response to the red card debacle, quoting soccer legend José Mourinho. He’d previously called the suspension “cruel.”

The president has attended several other major sports events this year, including Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden and the Super Bowl, and he hosted a UFC fight night at the White House last month. The game Trump attended at MSG was the Knicks’ only loss in the NBA Finals.

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