Top 10 Evidences of a Donald Trump Sports Curse
Say what you will about President Donald Trump (I'm not a fan of his), but one thing all of us can agree on is that, when it comes to sports, he has been bad luck, to say the least. There have been cases where, during his reign in the White House, whenever he attends a sporting event, either the home team or the team of his choosing is often on the wrong side of a result.
Sometimes, he'll get involved in a sporting event that causes controversy, and a loss is often pinned on him. These are the top 10 cases when playing a game in the presence of the current Commander in Chief can be one of the worst things to happen.
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Argentina loses to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final
Defending champion Argentina entered the 2026 World Cup final as the favorites to win over Spain. President Trump declared that Argentina had his support in the final. In the end, Spain won 1-0 in a sloppy final that saw Argentina go nearly 120 minutes without getting a shot off in the match.
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United States loses to Belgium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after Donald Trump gets involved
The 2026 FIFA World Cup drama started after U.S. star player Folarin Balogun was given a controversial straight red card during the Round of 32 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina following a foul that didn't appear to have much malice, although player safety was called into question. Balogun was expected to miss the U.S.'s next game against Belgium because of the card, but when it was reported that FIFA would allow Balogun to play, it caused an uproar among all FIFA participants, especially since it was revealed that Trump got involved to try to overturn the suspension.
Whether there shouldn't have been a card in the first place is debatable, but the situation was handled improperly. Adding insult to injury, Belgium defeated the U.S. 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.
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New York Knicks lose to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals, snapping a 13-game winning streak
The Knicks started their 13-game winning streak in the playoffs after dropping two of their first three games to the Atlanta Hawks. That winning streak would last through Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Spurs in San Antonio. Game 3 was going to be at Madison Square Garden, the first time a Finals game had been played there in 32 years.
Being a New Yorker himself, President Trump announced that he would be in attendance for that game. His arrival would lead to the Knicks losing their only Finals game to the Spurs. It was a good thing he didn't show up to Game 4 because the Knicks might not have come back to win that game and then take the series in Game 5 for their first title since 1973.
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Detroit Lions stumble down the stretch of the 2025 NFL season after Amon-Ra St. Brown does the Donald Trump dance
Two teams would be affected by Trump's appearance at the Washington Commanders' game against the Detroit Lions in 2025. The Commanders lost 44-22, but the story was Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who celebrated with the Trump Dance. This would turn out to be bad luck for Detroit, as the Lions lost five of their last eight games, missed the playoffs, and forced Amon-Ra St. Brown to apologize.
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United States Ryder Cup team loses to Europe in the 2025 Ryder Cup after Donald Trump's public comments
President Trump made an appearance at Bethpage Golf Course on the first day of the 2025 Ryder Cup, a golf tournament between the best professional golfers from the United States and Europe. On the first day, he openly declared that the United States would "get it done," meaning it would win the whole thing. After the three-day competition, the United States suffered one of its hardest defeats ever, and Europe retained the cup.
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Washington Nationals lose to the Houston Astros in Game 5 of the 2019 World Series
Washington returned home to D.C. after taking two games in Houston during the 2019 World Series. Heading into Game 5, the Nationals found themselves tied at two games apiece, and President Trump attended the game. The Nationals lost 7-1 to fall behind 3-2, but much like the Knicks, they would bounce back to win the series without Trump's presence.
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Daytona 500 suffers delays in the 2020 and 2025 NASCAR Cup Series after Donald Trump's two visits
While this one didn't affect the winner, whenever Trump made an appearance at NASCAR's biggest race, there was a delay. In February 2025, the race was delayed for approximately 3.5 hours because of bad weather. Five years earlier, when he was serving as grand marshal, the race was suspended after 20 laps due to rain and resumed the next day.
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Miami Hurricanes lose to the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship on home soil
President Trump was a guest at the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship game between No. 1 Indiana and No. 10 Miami, with the game being played on Miami's home turf. The Hurricanes and Hoosiers would play a game for the ages, but Indiana came out victorious, 27-21, sealing the victory with an interception. Maybe if Trump wasn't there, Miami could have fulfilled its dream season.
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England loses a heartbreaker to Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Semifinals
For the third time in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, President Trump got himself involved. This time, England captain Harry Kane confirmed a rumor that he had played a round of golf with the president a month earlier. The fact that this was revealed before England's match against Argentina could've been a foreshadowing of things to come. England led 1-0 with minutes to go before Argentina scored two goals to give the Three Lions another heartbreaking loss.
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Kansas City Chiefs blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX
Super Bowl LIX between the Chiefs and the Eagles remains the most-watched television event in the United States. While the attention was on the Chiefs' three-peat bid and the romance between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, President Trump was also there, and he picked the Chiefs to win. Unfortunately, the Eagles jumped out to a 34-0 lead before winning 40-22 to end the Chiefs' three-peat bid.