King Felipe and Queen Letizia Show Their Team Spirit by Wearing Red to Cheer on Spain in the World Cup Final in New Jersey

 

The Spanish royal couple attended the championship game against Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday, July 19. (MetLife Stadium — which is home to the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets — is, for the purposes of the World Cup, temporarily referred to as New York New Jersey Stadium due to FIFA advertising stipulations.)

King Felipe, Queen Letizia and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the 2026 World Cup final on July 19, 2026.

Eva Marie Uzcategui - FIFA/FIFA via Getty

King Felipe, 58, and Queen Letizia, 53, could be seen watching the on-field action from a box in the stadium alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. At one point, they shook hands with President Donald Trump, who also attended the match.

Queen Letizia, King Felipe and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the 2026 World Cup Final on July 19, 2026.

Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty

Letizia showed her team spirit by wearing a red dress to match the Spanish team’s jerseys, while Felipe sported a red tie with his classic black suit.

King Felipe is known to be a big supporter of Spanish athletes, and he previously traveled to London for Wimbledon to support tennis stars including Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia greet Donald Trump at the 2026 World Cup final on July 19, 2026.

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty

Spain defeated France 2-0 to advance to the country’s second-ever World Cup final. The Spanish national team, nicknamed “La Roja” (“The Red One”), won its first World Cup in 2010.

Following the semifinal win, the official social media accounts for the Spanish royals shared photos and videos of the royal family celebrating in matching versions of Spain’s 2026 World Cup away kit, customized with their names and the number “26.”

“¡España está en la final! 🇪🇸,” they captioned the post. “You have proved again why you are one of the great teams in the world. Now, with a whole country on your side, it’s time to fight for the title. Thank you for letting us enjoy this road. Go for it, @sefutbol!”

Felipe and Letizia’s children, Princess Leonor, 20, and Princess Sofía, 19, were too young to attend the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa, but Spain was represented by Felipe, then the crown prince, and Letizia. Also in attendance were Felipe’s parents, King Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014, and Queen Sofía.

The young princesses were on hand to welcome the Spanish team to a royal reception after their return home. The King and Queen hosted the team at the palace in Madrid, where Spain’s goalkeeper and captain, Iker Casillas, showed the trophy to the then-4-year-old and 3-year-old royals.

Spain’s goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas shows the World Cup trophy to Princesses Leonor (C) and Sofia (R) during a reception for the Spanish team at the Royal Palace in Madrid on July 12, 2010.

 DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP via Getty

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

It’s been a big year for the Spanish royal family, especially Princess Leonor, who has balanced her duties as heir to the throne with fun, young adult activities.

She is in the final months of her three-year military training program, during which she spent time with the Spanish army, navy and air force in preparation to assume supreme command of the Spanish Armed Forces when she takes the throne as Queen. Last month, she even became the first member of the Spanish royal family to qualify as a paratrooper.

The future monarch also made sure to take time and enjoy her summer; last month, she and Princess Sofía were spotted dancing in a VIP box at Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour performance at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid.

“[They were] having the time of their lives,” said journalist Javi Hoyos, who posted a clip of the princesses in a video shared on TikTok. “I love seeing them like regular people. These images are great because they remind us they’re human, they’re young women enjoying themselves

”