Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez to attend World Cup final alongside Trump amid tensions

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and President Donald Trump are set to meet again at Sunday’s World Cup final, as strained relations between the two leaders over defense spending and the war with Iran continue to simmer.

Sanchez will be in New Jersey for the game, his office said Friday.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Spain over the government’s refusal to commit to NATO’s target of spending 5% of gross domestic product on defense, making numerous threats of trade reprisals.

The latest came earlier this month at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, when Trump told his advisers to “cut off all trade with Spain, including visits.”

The president later softened his tone, saying Spain had honored the request for payments and been “very generous,” a statement which Sanchez’s government understood as a reference to Madrid complying with its agreed defense spending target of 2% of GDP.

Sanchez, who also angered Trump’s administration earlier this year by denying use of its military bases and airspace during the U.S. attack on Iran, at the time said Spain sought the best possible relations with its allies.

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The two leaders held an informal, friendly conversation at the summit limited to topics including the World Cup, he said.

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The Spanish leader has traveled frequently to the United States during his time in office, mostly for United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York. He visited Washington in 2023 for bilateral meetings with then-President Joe Biden.

The Spanish royal family, including King Felipe, Queen Letizia and their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia, have also confirmed they will attend the final.