Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will attend Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
A spokesperson for the office of the Prime Minister said on Friday that Sanchez will attend the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
NTD has reached out to the Prime Minister's information office and the Spanish Embassy in Washington for comment and has not received a response by the time of publication.
U.S. President Donald Trump is already in New York, and he attended a FIFA Reception Friday afternoon. He will attend the match Sunday and present the World Cup trophy to the winner with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Trump and Sanchez have had a tense relationship of late. At the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey earlier this month, Trump criticized Spain for refusing to meet their contributions to NATO and threatened to cut off trade with the country.
"Spain is a wasted cause. We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore, by the way. I'd like you to cut it off," Trump said at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on July 8, looking at the members of his team who were in the room as he did so.
"Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don't participate, they don't pay. I don't want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please. Including visits...Watch them come running back, oh. They'll come running back. They treat [Rutte] terribly ... Spain doesn't agree to anything, and you shouldn't carry them."
But the same day, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had had a productive meeting with Spain.
"I did have issues with Spain. And I still do," he said. "But they came back all the way today. Spain was very generous today. I told them I’m going to stop trading ... They honored a request for lots of payments. And if they didn't, we wouldn't even talk to them."
Sanchez, who also angered Trump's administration earlier this year by denying use of its military bases and airspace during the U.S. attack on Iran, at the time said Spain sought the best possible relations with its allies.
The two leaders held an informal, friendly conversation at the summit limited to topics including the World Cup, Sanchez said.
In addition to Sanchez, the Spanish Royal Family confirmed in a calendar post on its website that King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and their daughters: Leonor, Princess of Asturias, and Infanta Sofia.
In a bid to help his nation’s beloved soccer team secure its second consecutive title, Milei added that he’ll be wearing the same heavy jacket, too.
Fans and players around the world cling to superstitions they believe can bring good luck to their team—or misfortune to their opponents. But in Latin America, and particularly in Argentina, so-called “cábalas,” or ritualistic beliefs and habits, carry unusual weight, reflecting the intensity with which many here watch their national team.
When asked Thursday whether he’d travel to New Jersey for Sunday’s game to watch alongside his close ally Trump and the FIFA president, as was widely expected, Milei replied, “No way.”
“I’m going to keep watching all the games from Olivos,” he told a local Buenos Aires radio station, El Observador, referring to his presidential residence.
The journalist asked if he’s staying home for superstitious reasons. Milei said yes, going on to explain another of his rituals: “Since it’s cold and I don’t turn on the heat, I wear an oil company-branded jacket. The day of the Switzerland game, it made me really hot. I took it off, and they scored a goal against us. I put it back on and never took it off again.”
Argentine presidents have long been cautious about attending high-stakes World Cup matches to avoid bringing bad luck to their teams. The superstition dates back to the 1990 tournament, when then-President Carlos Menem visited the Argentine squad right before it suffered a stunning opening loss to Cameroon.
Menem was branded a “mufa,” a jinx. No sitting Argentine president is known to have attended a national team match since.