Spanish Prime Minister to Attend World Cup Final in U.S.... Will a 'Rivals' Meeting with Trump Happen?

Spanish Side Says, "Immediately Departing for Algeria After the Match"

Argentinian President to Skip the Game Due to Superstition

Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish Prime Minister who has emerged as the leading figure of “anti-Trump” sentiment in Europe, has decided to visit the United States to attend the FIFA 2026 North and Central America World Cup final. Attention is now focused on whether there will be a meeting between Sanchez and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands at the world leaders summit for ending the Gaza Strip war held in Egypt on October 13 last year. Photo by Reuters

According to Politico Europe on July 18 (local time), a spokesperson for the Spanish government announced that “Prime Minister Sanchez plans to visit New Jersey Stadium for the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.” Previously, President Trump also stated his intention to attend the final, drawing attention to the possibility of a face-to-face encounter between the two leaders, who have repeatedly engaged in heated public debates and are widely considered rivals.

Politico commented, “President Trump also plans to visit the stadium,” and predicted “an awkward meeting between Prime Minister Sanchez, a prominent anti-Trump leader in Europe, and President Trump.” However, the Spanish government spokesperson explained that Sanchez's stay in the U.S. will be extremely brief and that it is highly unlikely he will hold a separate meeting with U.S. officials. Prime Minister Sanchez is scheduled to visit Algeria in North Africa on July 20, so he is expected to leave immediately after the final match concludes.

Prime Minister Sanchez has repeatedly clashed with President Trump on major issues involving NATO member states, such as ▲ increasing defense spending, ▲ immigration policy, and ▲ the war with Iran. He is often described as the most prominent anti-Trump leader in Europe. Sanchez strongly criticized President Trump’s foreign policy, especially the war between the United States and Iran in February this year, and refused to allow U.S. forces to use a joint air base. The Sanchez administration was also the only NATO member last year not to pledge to the alliance’s plan for national defense spending at 5% of GDP.

President Trump also singled out Spain earlier this month at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Türkiye, calling it “a terrible partner of NATO.” He further expressed his displeasure by saying, “We no longer want to trade with Spain.”

Meanwhile, the Spanish royal family also announced that it would visit the United States to watch the match from VIP seats. Javier Milei, the President of Argentina and Spain’s opponent in the final, plans to watch the game from the presidential residence via a broadcast instead of traveling to the U.S., due to a longstanding Argentine superstition that when the president personally attends the match, Argentina loses.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.