Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:42am on 20 Jul 2026,Monday International
US President Donald Trump and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez briefly met in the VIP section during the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, marking their first public encounter after months of tensions over NATO defence spending and US foreign policy. Relations had recently improved after Trump praised Spain's increased defence commitments following the NATO summit in Ankara. Before kickoff, Sanchez said only the trophy winners mattered, while Trump backed Argentina, calling Javier Milei a friend and saying "It's hard to bet against Messi." Spain later defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time through Ferran Torres' decisive 106th-minute winner.
