President Claudia Sheinbaum will attend the FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey after receiving an invitation from United States President Donald Trump. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will also attend.
“I received an invitation from President Trump to go Sunday to the final of the World Cup,” Sheinbaum told reporters after an event in Quintana Roo on Friday. “I made the decision, yes, to go because, well, it’s a direct invitation from the president of the United States.”
🚨#AHORA La presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum confirmó que fue invitada por el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, para presenciar en Nueva York la final entre España y Argentina.
A la cita también asistirá el primer ministro de Canadá, Mark Carney, por lo que los mandatarios… pic.twitter.com/RZxHbg0Vn6
— Azucena Uresti (@azucenau) July 18, 2026
The final will mark the first game that Sheinbaum will attend throughout the whole tournament, despite Mexico hosting 16 of the 104 games played. She gave her tickets to the opening Mexico vs South Africa match to Yolette Cervantes, a 21-year-old indigenous woman, and watched Mexico’s group-clinching 3-0 win over Czechia from her home with her husband on her birthday.
Sheinbaum and Trump’s only in-person meeting to date came at the World Cup draw ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5, 2025, with Carney in attendance as well. Sheinbaum was also scheduled to meet with Trump at the G7 Summit last summer. However, Trump left early due to the Israel-Iran conflict.
With tensions between Mexico and the U.S. running high in recent months, the two leaders may have much to discuss. In April, the covert participation of CIA agents in anti-narcotics operations in Chihuahua came to light, in violation of the Mexican Constitution. The revelation was quickly followed by U.S. indictments against several sitting Mexican politicians on drug trafficking and weapons offenses, most notably Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya, who has since taken a temporary leave of absence.
Mexico is now taking legal action of its own against its northern neighbor. Sheinbaum announced earlier this week that Mexico was initiating both criminal and civil complaints over the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals in ICE custody or by ICE operations. Most recently, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican citizen, was killed by ICE agents in Houston, Texas, on July 7.
Trump’s involvement in the World Cup final has been highly publicized, and he plans to take part in the final trophy ceremony. Trump appeared in the championship celebrations of the 2025 Club World Cup, which the United States also hosted.
Sheinbaum said she will release a video message with more information on Saturday afternoon and vowed to be back at work by Monday morning.
With reports from USA Today
