Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and United States President Donald Trump met in person on Sunday at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The encounter, which took place in the stadium's VIP section during the match between Spain and Argentina, follows nearly two years of public diplomatic friction and unsuccessful attempts to bridge the divide between their two administrations.
The two leaders were joined by Spain’s King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and Princesses Leonor and Sofía. While the Spanish delegation was fully represented, Argentina’s President Javier Milei was notably absent, having previously cited a superstition as his reason for skipping the event. In comments made to Fox News prior to the match, President Trump referred to Milei as a “friend” and expressed hesitation about betting against Lionel Messi.
Diplomatic relations between Washington and Madrid have been strained for months, primarily over disagreements regarding defence spending and the conflict in Gaza. Washington has long pressured Spain to meet a NATO target of spending 5% of its GDP on defence, a goal Prime Minister Sánchez has publicly labeled as “unreasonable and counterproductive.” Furthermore, tensions escalated after Spain characterized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as a genocide—a stance the United States has rejected. The relationship was further tested when Madrid invoked a bilateral defence agreement to block the use of U.S. military bases at Rota and Morón for operations related to the conflict between the United States and Iran.
Despite these ongoing issues, there has been a recent easing of tensions. Following a NATO summit in Ankara last month, President Trump acknowledged that Spain had “fully redeemed itself” by agreeing to a substantial increase in its defence commitments. This marked a significant departure from his previous rhetoric at the same summit, during which he had labeled Spain a “lost cause” and threatened retaliatory trade measures. Prime Minister Sánchez has consistently maintained that Spain has “more than fulfilled its obligations” through its increased defence spending.
Leading up to the meeting, Sánchez appeared in an interview with the Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, where he congratulated President Trump on the 250th anniversary of the United States. When questioned on whether President Trump might be the one to present the World Cup trophy to the winning team, the Prime Minister avoided speculation, stating that his focus remained on the recipient rather than the presenter.
