Ivanka Trump made a dazzling performance at the FIFA Club World Cup draw and played a crucial role at the event on Thursday.
Ivanka, the daughter of newly elected President Donald Trump, had the honor of starting the draw, which took place in Miami.
She was joined on stage by her 11-year-old son Theodore and eight-time Grammy Award winner Gloria Estefan as they kicked off the team lottery for the controversial postseason tournament, which will take place next year.
Their role was to draw the first ball bearing the name of one of 32 teams, including English football clubs Manchester City and Chelsea and MLS club Inter Miami, that will take part in the event.
Estefan then held up the slip to the crowd and revealed that Brazil’s SE Palmeiras had been drawn.
The Club World Cup, featuring teams AFC, CAF, Concacaf, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA, will be held in the US in June and July 2025, with the opening match taking place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, home of the NFL’s Dolphins.
Ivanka Trump made a dazzling performance during the FIFA Club World Cup draw on Thursday
The 43-year-old played a crucial role, along with her son Theodore (left) and Gloria Estefan (right)
They initiated the draw of the 32 teams for the controversial postseason tournament
The 43-year-old looked elegant in a light blue and white striped round-neck sundress with a white belt around the waist.
Her husband Jared Kushner, whose father Charles was nominated by Donald Trump as US ambassador to France earlier this week, looked on from the audience.
Meanwhile, her father, newly elected President Trump, also made a special appearance during the speech of his ‘friend’ FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The 47th future president delivered a special message to the Miami crowd via video, hailing Infantino as a “winner.”
“The event is going to be incredible. I will try to be there if I can, I would, we’ll see what happens,” Trump said of the first edition of the post-season tournament, which will be held in the US.
“But I just want to say that you are led by a man named Gianni (Infantino), I just know him as Gianni and he is a winner and he is the president and I am the president.
“We’ve known each other for a long time and I’m so honored to have such a relationship because, as everyone knows, football is going through the roof.”
Trump’s 18-year-old son Barron is an avid soccer fan and played the sport throughout his childhood, even reportedly honing his skills on the youth team of an MLS club.
Ivanka, the daughter of newly elected President Donald Trump, had the honor of signing the first team
Husband Jared Kushner (left) watched from the audience as his wife and son took the stage
Newly elected President Donald Trump also made a special appearance during Gianni Infantino’s speech
The 78-year-old went on to express his excitement about the rise of football in the United States, which will host the 2026 World Cup along with Mexico and Canada.
He then passed judgment on Barron’s football skills, claiming that he is a good football player, but ‘not that good’.
‘Things are going so fantastically well, my son Baron is a great football fan, he’s actually a good player. “I don’t think so well, but he is a very good player,” he added.
“But he loves football and it’s really taking over the United States as a sport, and I congratulate everyone.”
Barron’s football skills caused a stir online earlier on Thursday, with many social media users baffled by one key detail.
A highlight of his on-field skills went viral on YouTube, attracting the attention of more than 36,000 viewers.
In the clip, Barron, who stands at a staggering height of 6 feet 9 inches, could be seen comically towering over his opponents.
And it was his height that made viewers all draw the same conclusion: that he is playing the wrong sport.
Barron Trump’s football skills left many social media users baffled by one key detail
Barron (left), the 18-year-old son of President-elect Donald Trump (center), is an avid football fan
Many took to the comments section of the two-minute clip to argue that Barron’s towering frame would be better utilized on the basketball court.
Barron reportedly once received advice from Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, who won the 2008 Club World Cup, during the retired football star’s brief playing spell for DC United.
Barron, who was about 12 at the time, had reportedly played for DC’s youth team.
“(Donald) asked me to give his son football lessons,” Rooney previously revealed.
“(Barron) said, ‘Do you want to see my dad?’ He took me to the Oval office and from there his PA texted: ‘Would you like to play a few holes?’
Barron enrolled at NYU’s Stern School of Business, but partying and meeting girls were not his priority. According to a report, football has remained his focus.
TMZ reported that Barron “asked NYU students for their Discord usernames and gamertags to play together online.”
Discord is a social media app used to connect and chat with other video game players.
As for his favorite game, it is said that his favorite is the football game FIFA.