Von der Leyen Skips World Cup Final as Trump and Sánchez Head to Los Angeles
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will not attend the FIFA World Cup final, declining an invitation to the showpiece match that is expected to draw heads of state and government from across the globe, according to reports. The decision means the EU’s most senior executive figure will be absent from an event that is shaping up to be as much a diplomatic gathering as a sporting occasion.
US President Donald Trump and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez are both confirmed to attend the final, which is set to take place in the United States as part of the 2026 tournament co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico. Their presence underscores how the World Cup final has increasingly become a venue for high-profile political visibility alongside its role as a global sporting spectacle.
Von der Leyen’s absence will likely draw attention given the scale of diplomatic activity expected around the match. For a Commission president who has frequently sought to project European influence on the world stage, opting out of an event attended by the American and Spanish leaders represents a notable choice, though officials have not publicly detailed the reasoning behind the decision.
A Diplomatic Sideline for the EU?
The World Cup, long recognised as the planet’s most watched sporting tournament, has in recent editions taken on an increasingly pronounced geopolitical dimension. Host nations and prominent attendees use the global platform to project soft power, forge bilateral contacts, and engage audiences that extend far beyond the traditional circuits of international diplomacy. Trump’s attendance in particular is expected to generate significant media coverage, given that the United States is a co-host of the tournament and the president has made the event a point of national pride.
Sánchez’s decision to travel to the final is equally notable. Spain enters the tournament as a competitive favourite following its UEFA Euro 2024 triumph, and the prime minister’s attendance would carry additional resonance should the Spanish national side reach the final itself. His presence would serve both a sporting and a political purpose on the international stage.
By contrast, von der Leyen’s absence leaves the European Union without a senior institutional figurehead at an occasion where several world leaders will be gathered in one place. While the Commission president’s diary commitments and the nature of EU institutional responsibilities do not always align with such events, the optics of the decision are unlikely to go unnoticed in European capitals or in Brussels.
The 2026 tournament marks the first time the World Cup will feature an expanded 48-team format, broadening participation and heightening anticipation. Matches will be held across stadiums in all three host countries, with the final scheduled at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, just outside New York City. The event is projected to be one of the most commercially and politically significant World Cups in the competition’s history, drawing intense scrutiny of who chooses to attend — and who does not.
No official statement from the European Commission elaborating on von der Leyen’s decision had been issued at the time of publication. Whether the Commission plans any alternative form of engagement with the tournament or its surrounding events also remains unclear.
