Mexico's president accepting invitation from Donald Trump to attend World Cup final

NEW YORK — Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum is planning to accept an invitation from United States President Donald Trump to attend the World Cup final this weekend, she told reporters in Mexico.

“I received an invitation from President Trump to go Sunday to the final of the World Cup. I made the decision, yes, to go because, well, it’s a direct invitation from the president of the United States,” Sheinbaum said Friday, July 17 after an event in the coastal state of Quintana Roo. “(Canada) Prime Minister (Mark) Carney also will be there. Tomorrow I’m going to record a message with more details, tomorrow afternoon.”

The president said she would be back Monday morning to resume her normal duties.

It will be the first World Cup match Sheinbaum attends, after she opted to give her ticket to the inaugural match in Mexico City on June 11 to an indigenous girl who plays soccer. Sheinbaum did go to at least two fan festival events during Mexico national team games.

Shakira performs during the opening ceremony before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A match between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City Stadium on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico.

(Kai Pfaffenbach, REUTERS)

Shakira and Burna Boy perform during the opening ceremony before the match.

(Kai Pfaffenbach, REUTERS)

J Balvin performs during the opening ceremony.

(Eloisa Sanchez, REUTERS)

Belinda and Los Angeles Azules perform during the opening ceremony.

(Kai Pfaffenbach, REUTERS)

A performer in costume participates in the opening ceremony.

(Kai Pfaffenbach, REUTERS)

Performers during the opening ceremony before the match.

(Kai Pfaffenbach, REUTERS)

A performer during the opening ceremony before the match.

(Kai Pfaffenbach, REUTERS)

Mexico fans inside the stadium before the match.

(Hannah McKay, REUTERS)

General view during the opening ceremony before the match.

(Kai Pfaffenbach, REUTERS)

A Mexico fan poses with a ball inside the stadium before the match.

(Hannah McKay, REUTERS)

Fans arrive at the Estadio Ciudad de Mexico ahead of the 2026 World Cup football tournament Group A football match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City on June 11, 2026.

(MARIO VAZQUEZ, AFP via Getty Images)

A Mexican fan holding a plush toy of Zayu, one of the 2026 World Cup mascots, gives a thumbs up at the FIFA Fan Festival ahead of the 2026 World Cup football tournament Group A match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City on June 11, 2026.

(LUIS CORTES, AFP via Getty Images)

Mexican soccer fans wait to enter the FIFA Fan Fest ahead of the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 between Mexico and South Africa, in Mexico City, Mexico, June 11, 2026.

(Paola Garcia, REUTERS)

A dog is pictured dressed in a Mexico shirt in Mexico City before the Mexico v South Africa match.

(Steven Watt, REUTERS)

The World Cup took place across the three North American countries with the event serving as something of a bridge between the neighbors with a tense relationship.

Sheinbaum first met Trump in person at events surrounding the World Cup draw in December 2025, with all three heads of state selecting their nations at the Kennedy Center.

Sheinbaum announced this month that she planned to seek legal action in the U.S. courts after a number of Mexican nationals died in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The country’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs announced further details on July 14, saying it will take complaints to the U.S. Department of Justice and individual states’ attorneys general. It also has sent cease and desist letters to detention centers where Mexican nationals have died and sent a letter to Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, asking him to investigate.

Trump’s presence at the World Cup final has long been planned, with more confirmations coming this week. Alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the U.S. president is expected to award the trophy to the winning team.

That team will be either Argentina or Spain, with the match scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mexico’s president accepting invitation from Donald Trump to attend World Cup final

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