The 2026 World Cup became a unique edition not only because it brought together 48 teams for the first time, but also because no head of state attended the opening match played at the Mexico City Stadium, formerly the Azteca Stadium, on June 11, not even the president of the host country, Claudia Sheinbaum.
No foreign leaders attended the main sports venue in Mexico, hosting the World Cup for the third time. Political representation was left in the hands of lower-ranking officials during the start of the tournament.
The leaders of the United States and Canada, Donald Trump and Mark Carney, respectively, whose countries share the organization of the World Cup, were also not present.
Likewise absent was the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, whose team faced Mexico in the opening match. Among the personalities present, the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, stood out.
Days before the start of the tournament, Sheinbaum had indicated that some foreign leaders who were planning to travel to Mexico canceled their attendance for reasons related to the situation in their countries.
For Ricardo Domínguez, researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the absence of leaders should not be interpreted as a slight towards Mexico.
“In the past, these events were an opportunity to show the world the state a country was in. Today the situation has changed because the way of global communication has changed,” he told EFE.
According to the academic, the development of the Internet and social networks has modified the way in which countries project their international image.
As a recent precedent, various heads of state and monarchs attended the Qatar 2022 World Cup, including representatives of Turkey, Egypt, Palestine, Rwanda, Senegal, Algeria and the host country itself.
Sheinbaum breaks a recent tradition
One of the most commented aspects was the absence of the Mexican president in the stadium.
Sheinbaum reported that he gave his entrance to a young indigenous woman and followed the match from an area set up for fans in Mexico City.
With this decision, she became the first president of a host country in the 21st century not to attend the opening match of a World Cup.
In the case of Mexico, presidents Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, during the 1970 World Cup, and Miguel de la Madrid, in 1986, were present at the opening ceremonies of the respective tournaments.
Domínguez interpreted Sheinbaum’s decision as an action consistent with the social policy promoted by his administration.
“More than affecting Mexico’s international projection, it favors it. The federal government is consistent with its postulates,” he stated.
The president explained that she preferred to follow the match with the fans due to the limitations of access to the stadium and the high demand for tickets for the opening match.