During Spain’s dominant win over Austria, FIFA President Gianni Infantino was displayed on the screen and heavily booed by fans in attendance at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles
23:49 ET, 02 Jul 2026Updated 23:49 ET, 02 Jul 2026
FIFA President Gianni Infantino was in the box watching Spain against Austria(Image: Getty Images)
FIFA President Gianni Infantino was heavily booed when shown on the screen during Spain’s win over Austria.
On Thursday, Spain clinched a dominant 3-0 win over Austria as Mikel Oyarzabal netted twice, either side of a Pedro Porro header, to advance to the Round of 16 at the World Cup. Spanish fans had plenty to cheer about in Los Angeles, including their love for Lamine Yamal, but there was one moment where their support turned to jeers.
The jeers had nothing to do with the action on the field. In the stands, Infantino was sitting and talking with guests when he was shown on the big screen, prompting loud boos from the capacity crowd. It comes as furious viewers claimed the tournament is “rigged” for Cristiano Ronaldo after enormous controversy erupted.
Infantino was at the center of the drama throughout the buildup to the World Cup, alongside Donald Trump. The United States, alongside Israel, launched strikes on Iran, which meant the tournament represented the first time a country will play in the World Cup while actively engaged in a conflict with the host nation.
Iran’s team was poorly treated throughout the World Cup — and Infantino was blamed for his role in failing to step in.
They were forced to move their training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, while the squad was only allowed to enter the U.S. the day before its first two matches in Los Angeles, and two days before the final game in Seattle.
Iran was also forced to return to Mexico immediately after each match, while staff members were denied visas to enter the United States. On the pitch, Iran narrowly missed out on one of the eight third-placed spots to reach the knockout stages.
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Gianni Infantino was booed when presented on the big screen in the stadium(Image: Reddit)
On top of this, Infantino has also been blamed for disgustingly high ticket prices, which led to plenty of tickets either not being sold or given away for free before kick-off. He is deemed public enemy no. 1 in FIFA and the World Cup, and the Spanish and Austrian fans made sure to show their fury.
Infantino was also booed during the opening ceremony at the Azteca Stadium ahead of Mexico’s win over South Africa.
It represents a warning for Trump, who has already been booed at a major sports event several times. None more so than at Game 3 of the NBA Finals, when he attended the New York Knicks’ loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Trump became the first sitting president to attend the NBA Finals, and his decision led to heavy boos when he was displayed on the Jumbotron. The 80-year-old attempted to mitigate the negative reaction by editing cheers and ‘USA’ chants over the boos on a video posted by The White House.
