Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will attend the World Cup final to see his country take on reigning champions Argentina, his government said Friday.
Sánchez, a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump, will then travel to Algeria for an official visit, his cabinet told AFP.
US President Donald Trump will also attend Sunday’s World Cup final in New Jersey, the White House said, saving his first appearance at the tournament for its grand finale.
“His attendance will cap what has been the most watched, most secure, and most successful World Cup in American history,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing on Thursday.
Spain’s King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and their two daughters will attend the final as well, the royal palace has said.
Argentine President Javier Milei however plans to skip it, citing superstition.
Socialist leader Sánchez has long had tense ties with Trump, refusing to let the US military use Spanish bases for its war in Iran and condemning the American operation that ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
Trump called Spain a “terrible partner in Nato” at an alliance summit in Turkey earlier this month and said the United States did not “want to do any trade business with Spain anymore”.
Sánchez looked keen to smooth things over, telling a post-summit press conference that relations between the two countries were “positive”.
He said he had held “an informal chat” with Trump about football during the summit and “there was absolutely no kind of tension”.
