LR: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez; Spain players; And King Felipe VI (AP Photo)
Spain will have its highest political and royal representatives cheering from the stands when they face Argentina in the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and King Felipe VI both expected to attend the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.Sanchez’s office confirmed on Friday that the Spanish Prime Minister will travel to the United States to attend the final match, where European champion Spain will seek to win its second World Cup title against Argentina, led by Lionel Messi.
King Felipe VI is also expected to be in attendance, underscoring the importance of the occasion for Spanish football, as La Roja bids for his first World Cup title since winning the trophy in South Africa in 2010.The final is scheduled to attract an elite group of world leaders, with US President Donald Trump also confirming his presence at the New York-New Jersey stadium.
Spain is represented at the highest level
The presence of Sanchez and King Felipe VI reflects the enormous importance attached to Spain’s appearance in the World Cup final.Their presence also comes against the backdrop of tense diplomatic relations between Sanchez and Trump. The two leaders have publicly disagreed on several international issues in recent months, including the Iran conflict, Spain’s NATO defense spending commitments and Washington’s support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in the wake of the 2023 Hamas attacks.
Despite these differences, both leaders will be present at football’s biggest occasion, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino also expected to attend the final match and trophy presentation.Spain hopes to culminate its wonderful journey by ending Argentina’s reign as world champions and securing only the second World Cup title in the country’s history.
Miley chooses superstitions on the stadium seat
While Spain’s top leaders will attend, Argentine President Javier Miley has decided not to travel to New Jersey despite calls to join Trump and Infantino.Miley revealed that he will remain at the presidential headquarters in Buenos Aires, convinced that watching the matches from home brought luck to Argentina throughout the tournament.The Argentine leader cited the country’s football tradition of Kabbalah – a superstitious match-day ritual – as a reason for skipping the final.Argentina won every World Cup match Miley watched from home, and the president said he was unwilling to break the routine ahead of the title match.His decision also follows a long-standing belief in Argentine football circles that sitting presidents should avoid attending crucial World Cup matches after former president Carlos Menem was branded a “jinx” following Argentina’s shock defeat to Cameroon in the 1990 World Cup.