The President of the European Commission will not attend the World Cup football final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday in New Jersey, citing scheduling conflicts.
Ursula von der Leyen declined the invitation to attend the Men's World Cup final. The match between Spain and Argentina will take place this Sunday afternoon, US time, in the New Jersey stadium. Donald TrumpSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and King Felipe VI of Spain will be in the stands.
“The president has received an invitation to the World Cup final, but will not be attending due to scheduling conflicts,” said Paula Pinho, chief spokesperson for the European Commission. Von der Leyen’s absence deprives the European Union of an opportunity for informal contact with the US president, at a time when transatlantic relations remain strained.
Argentina will also be without its head of state: Javier Milei prefers to watch the match from home, for superstitious reasons.
Von der Leyen had, however, shown her enthusiasm before the semi-final between France and Spain, posting a picture of herself holding a ball with the comment: "Whoever wins tonight, a strong European team will be in the final!" Spain won 2-0.
It's been a busy week for the Commission President: she traveled to Kyiv to demonstrate the EU's support for Ukraine against Russia, then to Paris for the Bastille Day celebrations. On Monday, she will meet with former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi in Brussels to discuss European competitiveness.
On the sporting front, EU nations had dominated world football for more than a decade: Italy, Spain, Germany and France won four consecutive world titles between 2006 and 2018, before Argentina triumphed in 2022 in Qatar.
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