Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Thursday (March 19) that her government has invited Spain's King Felipe VI to attend the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which Mexico will co-host with the United States and Canada this summer.

Sheinbaum confirmed the invitation during her daily press conference, noting that similar invitations were sent to leaders of all countries with which Mexico maintains diplomatic relations.

The gesture signals a possible thaw in relations between the two countries, which have been tense since 2019, when then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador demanded Spain apologize for abuses committed against indigenous people during the colonial era. Sheinbaum, his political successor, notably excluded King Felipe VI from her 2024 inauguration after the monarch refused to issue such an apology - a move Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called "unacceptable."

In a rare acknowledgment, King Felipe VI on Monday (March 16) appeared to recognize his country's colonial past during a visit to Madrid's Archaeological Museum, where he toured an exhibition on the indigenous women of Mexico.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

MEXICAN PRESIDENT CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM AT PRESS CONFERENCE / SOUNDBITE FROM SHEINBAUM

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (MARCH 19, 2026) (MEXICAN GOVERNMENT TV - Access all)

1. MEXICAN PRESIDENT, CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, ARRIVING AT PRESS CONFERENCE

2. PRESS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

3. REPORTER ASKING QUESTION TO PRESIDENT

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEXICAN PRESIDENT, CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, SAYING (STARTS OVER SHOT OF REPORTER):

"Gabriela Cuevas (Mexican government representative for the World Cup) sent to all countries of the world, to all, all, all, all, all, an invitation to come to the World Cup, and there is the King of Spain. But these are all the countries with which Mexico has relations."

5. PRESS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS