Trump and Sánchez and the diplomacy of the VIP box at the World Cup: from “lost cause” to world champion

Eduardo González US President Donald Trump, along with the Spanish Royal Family and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, witnessed Spain's victory in the World Cup final on Sunday. Besides Trump (accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump), Pedro Sánchez, and King Felipe VI (accompanied by Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor, and Infanta Sofía), the VIP box also included Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum (who declined to attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Cup in Mexico City); Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (just two days after the US President threatened to raise tariffs on Canada in retaliation for the wildfires that have ravaged New York); and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. and the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Rafael Louzán. Before the start of the match, Donald Trump shook hands with Sánchez, King Felipe VI, and Queen Letizia at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey. In the VIP box, protected by bulletproof glass at the start of the game, the leaders exchanged a few words before taking their seats. Speaking to the media after the final, as reported by the EFE news agency, Trump asserted that he has “no tensions with anyone.” “I’ve spoken with Spain and congratulated them on having a great team,” he added, before boarding Air Force One to return to the White House. The most absurd moment of the night came when Trump and Infantino presented the World Cup to the captain of the Spanish national team, Rodrigo Hernández, and the US president refused to leave the stage so the players could celebrate their victory. Finally, Trump stepped slightly to the side, though still within the spotlight, while Infantino, visibly embarrassed, tried to take the trophy away. The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, did not attend the match. He preferred to watch it from the official residence of Olivos, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, to observe a "superstition," an Argentine custom of not changing the conditions under which matches are watched in order to maintain winning streaks (location, clothing, or any other detail). "It's a superstition; I watch the matches at the Olivos cinema with my sister," he declared days earlier. “Thank you so much, players…!!! Fighting until the very end, boots on. Argentina always on top,” Javier Milei posted on social media after his team’s defeat in the final. Following the 1-0 victory against Argentina, which secured Spain's second World Cup title, Pedro Sánchez posted on social media: “WE ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!! Our National Team is incredible! Thank you, team!” Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares also posted: “WORLD CHAMPIONS!!! The Spanish National Team is immense. Pride of La Roja. Second star for Spain!” The Royal Household added: “Spanish national football team, you are world champions! This star is the reward for a long and demanding journey, undertaken with effort, sacrifice, perseverance, and exemplary dedication in every match. You faced each challenge with the conviction of a great team and carried the name of Spain to the highest level. Congratulations to the players, the coaching staff, and all the fans. Today we celebrate a title; Tomorrow we will remember a legend.” The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, wrote: “Well-deserved WORLD CHAMPIONS! Values, hard work, humility, and faith. You have made history. There are no limits for this team. Congratulations, Spanish National Football Team! Long live Spain!!!” Sánchez briefly met with Trump on July 8, during the recent NATO Summit in Ankara. Before the start of the meeting in the Turkish capital, the US president again attacked Spain, calling it a “lost cause” for refusing to increase its defense budget to five percent of GDP and for not handing over its Morón and Rota bases for the offensive against Iran. “Spain is a terrible partner in NATO; they don’t participate, they don’t pay.” “I want nothing to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, even visits,” he declared during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. In the press conference following the Ankara Summit, Pedro Sánchez explained that he had had “an informal chat with the President of the United States” in which they had “talked about soccer, about the World Cup in the United States.” He also stated that the government had taken Trump’s words “calmly, patiently, and with a certain degree of normalcy” and reiterated that “Spain has a trade deficit with the United States” and that “all trade agreements, including tariffs that the US administration has previously imposed on the European Union, must be negotiated with the European Commission.”

Related Content

Spain and Algeria stage the end of the crisis with the announcement of their first High-Level Meeting in more than eight years

The CGCEE ensures that the Grandchildren Law is not limited to exiles and denies “express” regulations

Jerez to host the Cervantes Institute Directors' Annual Meeting from July 27-29

Sánchez travels to Algeria this Monday to end the diplomatic crisis and increase gas supplies

ADE rejects the outsourcing of consular work and the "lack of transparency" in the application of the "Grandchildren Law"