The Spanish Embassy thanks Sheinbaum and Mexico for their congratulations after the World Cup victory

Eduardo González The Spanish Embassy in Mexico has thanked President Claudia Sheinbaum for her congratulations on the Spanish national team's victory in the World Cup and the Mexican people for their support. "Congratulations to Spain for deservedly winning the championship," Sheinbaum wrote on social media. "The 2026 FIFA World Cup has ended. It was a great celebration of joy, excitement, and unity among nations, where sport once again demonstrated its ability to bring people closer together. Congratulations to all Mexicans for making Mexico the best host country and to our National Team for their outstanding performance, raising our country's name high with dedication, talent, and pride," she continued. “The three host countries—Canada, the United States, and Mexico—demonstrated that when we work together, we are capable of making great projects a reality and leaving a legacy of cooperation, friendship, and hope for the world,” she added. “We thank President Claudia Sheinbaum for her congratulations to Spain on their World Cup victory and we also thank all the Mexican people for the support they have shown our team,” the Embassy posted on Monday. “Mexico has been a great and excellent World Cup host! Congratulations!” it concluded. Sheinbaum was present this past Sunday at the World Cup final, held at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey. Alongside her were the President of the United States, Donald Trump; the Spanish Royal Family; the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez; and the Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, whose country has just been penalized by the United States with a tariff increase of up to 50 percent in retaliation for the fires that have affected New York. The Mexican president initially declined to attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Cup in Mexico City, but ultimately decided to be present for the final, as she herself announced in a statement on July 18: “Yesterday I received an invitation from President Trump to attend; Prime Minister Carney will also be there. I considered it important, in diplomatic terms, that the three countries that hosted this World Cup be present, and it also demonstrates the good coordination and collaboration with the United States government,” she declared. During her daily press conference (the “Mañaneras”), Sheinbaum stated this Tuesday that the leaders in attendance “were very respectful and pleasant,” and that “it was a very cordial atmosphere.” Regarding her conversations with them, the Mexican president specified that with Carney she had spoken about “trade issues, the Treaty, we also talked about soccer and other topics,” and that with Trump she had spoken “essentially about reaching an agreement on the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement).” “We didn't go much further than that, simply stating that it is important. And I raised other topics we would like to discuss, obviously we were referring to Mexicans in the United States and other issues,” she added. “With the Spanish head of state, we discussed his visit, how well the Spanish national team is playing, and continuing the relationship,” she explained. On June 25, Claudia Sheinbaum received King Felipe VI at the National Palace, thanking him for “Spain’s recent gestures in favor of recognizing indigenous peoples.” The monarch was received by the mayor just before traveling to Guadalajara to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between Uruguay and Spain. That bilateral meeting symbolically closed the serious diplomatic crisis that erupted in October 2024, when Claudia Sheinbaum decided to exclude Felipe VI from the guest list for her inauguration because he had not responded to a letter from his predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, urging him to apologize for the Spanish conquest. The situation began to change a year later, on October 31, 2025, when Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, speaking at an event, referred to the “pain and injustice suffered by Indigenous peoples,” which “is also part of our shared history and we cannot deny or forget it.” The next step came in mid-March, when the King acknowledged—during a visit to an exhibition accompanied by the Mexican ambassador, Quirino Ordaz—that there had been “much abuse” by the Spanish during the colonial period. In this atmosphere of détente, the Mexican government sent a letter to the Zarzuela Palace in February inviting the King to attend the World Cup.

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