Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has confirmed he will attend the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New York on Sunday, ending days of uncertainty over his schedule. According to sources at Moncloa, the prime minister will take a seat in the VIP box alongside King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, but his wife, Begoña Gómez, will not accompany him.
The trip had been in doubt due to other commitments at the start of the following week. Moncloa staff had been working on the logistics since the previous Thursday, with the added complication that Sánchez is due to make an official visit to Algiers on Monday — his first trip to the North African country since 2020. In the end, his team managed to fit both engagements: as soon as the final whistle blows, Sánchez will fly directly to Algeria to carry out his institutional agenda there.
This is not the first time his presence at a Spain match has been uncertain during the tournament’s final stages. The prime minister also missed the semi-final against France, played on Tuesday in Arlington, because of the Zaragoza wildfire that became Spain’s largest this year. That day he was in Paris, attending Bastille Day events and meeting the mayor of the French capital.
Spain’s Road to the Final
Luis de la Fuente’s side have reached the final after a tournament that has been virtually free of scares. Having come through the group stage, Spain began the knock-out rounds with a 3-0 win over Austria, featuring a brace from Mikel Oyarzabal, a result that returned them to the last 16 for the first time since their 2010 triumph.
Portugal awaited in the last 16, in one of the most closely followed ties of the tournament. The match was decided by the narrowest of margins, 1-0, with a goal from Mikel Merino that also sealed Cristiano Ronaldo’s elimination in what was his last World Cup. In the quarter-finals, Belgium finally breached Unai Simón’s unbeaten goal with a strike from Charles De Ketelaere, but Spain hit back through Fabián Ruiz and, once again, Merino to wrap up a 2-1 victory.
The semi-final against France, whom much of the specialist press had installed as firm favourites for the title, ended in a comfortable 2-0 win. Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot after a foul on Lamine Yamal, and Pedro Porro put the game beyond reach in the second half. That result sends Spain into their second World Cup final, sixteen years after lifting their only title in South Africa.
A Final with Historic Significance
Facing them will be Argentina, the reigning world champions and the team that knocked England out in a semi-final settled in stoppage time thanks to a goal from Lautaro Martínez, after a fightback led by Lionel Messi. The match, scheduled for 21:00 this Sunday, will be the first World Cup final between two Spanish-speaking national teams since 1930.
The final also carries broader European resonance. The EU Sport Commissioner has backed Spain as the tournament’s strongest team, and the match will see a reunion of two players with a shared history: Messi and Yamal, whose unlikely connection dates back to a Camp Nou bath. Meanwhile, concerns over air quality at the stadium have been raised, with reports that smoke exposure could equal smoking 10 cigarettes.
For Sánchez, the trip underscores the balancing act of international diplomacy and domestic sporting pride. His quick turnaround from New York to Algiers reflects the tightrope that European leaders often walk between global events and bilateral engagements. As Spain prepares for its biggest football match in over a decade, the prime minister’s presence in the stands — even without his wife — signals the importance of the moment for the nation.
