President Donald Trump is not planning to attend Team USA’s World Cup opening match against Paraguay, according to multiple media reports published on Wednesday.
US media including news portal Politico and sports magazine The Athletic cited sources familiar with the matter as saying that the US president would not attend the match in Los Angeles on Friday. The White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier, a spokesman for the US State Department said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would attend the game, the first World Cup match on US soil.
Rubio will lead a delegation that also includes Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
On the sidelines of the World Cup match, Rubio intends to meet with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña to discuss topics including “regional security, trade and investment, and emerging technology.”
The US is co-hosting the largest FIFA World Cup in history with Mexico and Canada. For the first time, 48 teams are participating, with a total of 104 games leading up to the final.
Team USA will play two of its three group games at the NFL stadium of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers in Inglewood, just south of the city limits. Besides Paraguay, the US national team will also face Australia and Turkey.
The World Cup kicks off on Thursday with the opening match between co-host Mexico and South Africa at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
