Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced she will attend the upcoming World Cup final in New Jersey following a direct invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump, marking their first face-to-face meeting since December.
The high-profile gathering comes amid deep trade and security tensions between the two neighboring nations, who have spent months trading verbal barbs while simultaneously pledging cooperation. Sheinbaum confirmed her attendance to Mexican media in an announcement reported on July 18, 2026, at 3:36 PM EDT, stating, "I decided to go because it is a direct invitation from the president of the United States." She also noted that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to attend the match, and she planned to share further details in a recorded message.
The relationship between the two leaders has faced significant friction in recent months. In May, the U.S. State Department launched a review of 53 Mexican consulates across the United States after two CIA officers were killed during an operation in Northern Mexico. Following that, Trump announced in June that the U.S. would refuse to extend the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a crucial trilateral trade pact, until 2042.
Despite these disputes, formal diplomatic discussions are set to resume quickly, with U.S. and Mexican officials scheduled to hold another round of bilateral trade negotiations just two days after the final.
The tournament marks the first time the World Cup has been jointly hosted by the three North American nations. While Sheinbaum skipped the opening match in Mexico City—where Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0—and gifted her ticket to a young Indigenous woman, she will join other global figures for the final. Alongside Trump and Carney, Spain's King Felipe VI is expected to attend the championship match between defending champions Argentina and Spain. By Saturday afternoon, the cheapest seats for the final on FIFA's official ticketing site were listed at nearly $10,000.
