Ivanka Trump stuns at Club World Cup draw as Donald delivers verdict on son Barron's soccer skills

Ivanka Trump made a dazzling appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup Draw to play a crucial role at the event on Thursday. 

Ivanka, the daughter of president-elect Donald Trump, had the honor of starting the draw, which took place in Miami. 

She was joined by her 11-year-old son Theodore and eight-time Grammy Award winner Gloria Estefan on stage as they kicked off the team lottery for the controversial post-season tournament, which will take place next year. 

They had the role of drawing the first ball containing the name of one of the 32 teams, including English soccer sides Manchester City and Chelsea as well as MLS club Inter Miami, who will compete in the event.

Estefan then held up the slip to the audience, revealing Brazilian SE Palmeiras had been drawn.

The Club World Cup, which features teams AFC, CAF, Concacaf, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA, will be hosted across the US in June and July 2025, with the opening game taking place at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL's Dolphins. 

The 43-year-old cut an elegant figure in a pale blue and white striped scoop-necked sundress, cinched at the waist by a white belt. 

Her husband Jared Kushner, whose father Charles was nominated as the US Ambassador of France by Donald Trump earlier this week, watched on from the audience. 

Meanwhile, her father, president-elect Trump also made a special appearance during his 'friend' FIFA president Gianni Infantino's speech. 

The 47th-president-to-be delivered a special message to the crowd in Miami via video, in which he hailed Infantino as a 'winner.' 

'The event is going to be incredible. I will try and be there if I can, I would, we'll see what happens,' Trump said of the inaugural edition of the post-season tournament, which will be held in the US. 

'But I just want to say you're led by a man named Gianni [Infantino], I just know him as Gianni and he's a winner and he's the president and I'm the president.

'We've known each other a long time and I'm so honored to have this kind of relationship because soccer is going through the roof as everybody knows.'

Trump's 18-year-old son Barron is an avid soccer fan and has played the sport throughout his childhood, even reportedly honing his skills with an MLS club's youth team.

The 78-year-old went on to gush about the rise of soccer in the United States, which is set to co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada. 

He then delivered his verdict on Barron's soccer skills, claiming he's a good soccer player, but 'not that good.'

'It's been doing so fantastically well, my son Baron is a tremendous soccer fan, he's actually a good player - I guess not quite that kind of good but he's a very good player,' he added. 

'But he loves soccer and it really is taking over the United States in terms of a sport and I congratulate everybody.'

Barron's soccer skills have made waves online earlier on Thursday, with many social media users left stunned over one key detail. 

A highlight reel of his skills on the pitch went viral on YouTube, catching the attention of over 36,000 viewers. 

In the clip, Barron, who stands at a stunning 6-foot-7, could be seen comically towering over his opponents. 

And it was his height that had viewers all making the same conclusion - that he's playing the wrong sport. 

Many took to the comment section of the two-minute clip to claim that Barron's towering stature would be put to better use on the basketball court. 

Barron reportedly once received advice from Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, who won the Club World Cup in 2008, during the retired soccer star's brief playing spell for DC United. 

Barron, who was around 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 up into the Oval office and then from there, his PA was just texting: 'Do you want to play a few holes?''

Barron enrolled in NYU's Stern School of Business but partying and meeting girls hasn't been his priority. Instead, soccer has remained his focus, according to a report.

TMZ reported that Barron had 'been asking 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 players of a video game.

As for his game of choice, it's been said that his favorite is the soccer game FIFA.