MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will travel to the New York area this weekend to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain after receiving a direct invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Speaking during a work trip in Quintana Roo, Sheinbaum said she accepted because the invitation came personally from Trump. She said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is also expected to attend the match, creating a high-profile appearance by leaders from the three countries that co-hosted the 2026 tournament.
The final will be played Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, officially branded during the tournament as New York/New Jersey Stadium. The match brings together defending champion Argentina and Spain in the conclusion of the largest World Cup ever held, with 48 national teams and 104 matches across Mexico, the United States and Canada.
Sheinbaum said she would provide more details about her trip on Saturday. According to sources, she is expected to travel Saturday afternoon and return to Mexico on Monday morning.
The president had not attended the opening match of the tournament in Mexico City, where Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0 at Estadio Ciudad de México. Sheinbaum previously said high ticket prices made attendance unrealistic for many ordinary fans and gave her ticket to a young supporter from Veracruz who won a federal government contest.
The invitation also carries diplomatic symbolism. The 2026 World Cup was jointly hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada, and the final offers a visible moment of regional unity at the end of a tournament that has also unfolded amid political tension, immigration debates and trade pressures among the three countries.
Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino have praised the tournament as a success, citing large attendance, strong television interest and relatively smooth operations across the host countries. AP reported that Infantino described the event as fulfilling its mission of bringing people together, while Trump called it one of the great sporting spectacles.
The match itself is also rich with storylines. Argentina is seeking to defend its 2022 World Cup title, while Spain is chasing its second championship after winning in 2010. The final could also be Lionel Messi’s last World Cup appearance, adding another layer of global attention to an already high-profile game.
Air quality remains a concern in the New York-New Jersey area because of smoke from Canadian wildfires. The region experienced unhealthy air earlier in the week, although AP reported that conditions improved in some places around New York City on Friday from “unhealthy” to “moderate.” Reuters also reported that AccuWeather expected wildfire smoke to have only a minimal impact on Sunday’s final.
New York State officials have issued air-quality advisories during the week due to fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke. Public-health guidance notes that when the Air Quality Index rises above 100, conditions may be unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children, older adults, people with heart or lung disease and people working or exercising outdoors.
For Mexico, Sheinbaum’s attendance closes a tournament that began on home soil and included a strong national storyline before Mexico was eliminated by England in the knockout rounds. The president’s trip to the final now places her alongside the leaders of the other two host nations for the closing act of a World Cup that has been as much a diplomatic showcase as a sporting event.
