Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain in New Jersey, in protest at a series of Fifa decisions during the tournament. The Slovenian had attended the opening game in Mexico City but stayed away from the final after criticising Fifa for allowing United States striker Folarin Balogun to escape suspension following an intervention from President Donald Trump, a decision Uefa called "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable".

The snub also reflects wider friction between Ceferin and Fifa president Gianni Infantino over changes introduced at the tournament, including extended half-time shows featuring Madonna, BTS, Shakira and Justin Bieber, a possible expansion to a 64-team World Cup, high ticket prices, and new refereeing protocols on diving and players covering their mouths during confrontations. Uefa has pointedly rejected several of these changes for its own competitions, freezing ticket prices for Euro 2028 and instructing its VARs not to follow Fifa's approach to diving or mouth-covering incidents, while also inviting referee Omar Artan—who was denied entry to the US before the World Cup—to officiate the Super Cup in August.