In the stands of SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, King Philippe (66) applauds his national team: The Belgian monarch is watching the World Cup quarterfinal against Spain live on site. The palace had officially announced the stadium visit in advance. Philippe is thus the fourth reigning monarch to cheer on their team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the stadium. Previously, Spain's King Felipe VI, Jordan's King Abdullah II, and Dutch King Willem-Alexander had already attended matches of the tournament.
Philippe paid his players a visit at the team headquarters the evening before. He dined with the team and was presented with a signed jersey. He told the players that he had watched the previous match against the USA with one of his daughters until two o'clock in the morning. His message before the duel with the European champion was unmistakable: "Tomorrow you must win."
Why Felipe VI stayed away from the match
However, there was no royal encounter in the VIP box. Spain's King Felipe VI (58) skipped the trip to California and instead attended a military graduation ceremony in San Javier in the Murcia region of Spain with Queen Letizia, Crown Princess Leonor, and Infanta Sofía. At the local Air and Space Force Academy, the new officers were honored.
Nevertheless, Felipe VI had already cheered on his team in person at this tournament: On June 26, he watched the group stage match against Uruguay in Guadalajara, Mexico. At the quarterfinal, the royal stage now belonged solely to the Belgian head of state. For Philippe, this is already his second trip to the US this year: In May, his eldest daughter, Princess Elisabeth, celebrated her graduation from Harvard University in Cambridge - Philippe and Queen Mathilde attended the ceremony.
