The King and Queen of Spain and their daughters, Leonor and Sofia, surprised us with an emotional unreleased video in which they appear watching live the semifinal match between Spain and France. The four members of the family wanted to join the wave of euphoria that has swept across Spain after the national team qualified for the final of a World Cup for the second time in its history. But the viral images also left many questions. Why were they in such a simple and dreary room? And why were all four of them seated on such a small sofa?
No, contrary to what many people mistakenly thought, the video was not recorded at Zarzuela Palace. The sofas there aren’t that small. The images, shared on the official Instagram account of the Royal Household, were recorded in Barcelona. Felipe, Letizia and their two daughters were at that moment spending the night in the Catalan capital after having presided that same afternoon the ceremony for the Princess of Girona Awards 2026 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
After the gala, a cocktail was held at the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, where a giant screen allowed guests to follow La Roja’s match. It has not been confirmed that the King and Queen attended or for how long, so the modest room where the four watched Spain’s victory could belong to that museum or, alternatively, to the hotel where the kings Felipe and Letizia and their daughters stayed in Barcelona. They usually do so at the Mandarin Oriental.
“Spain is in the final! You have again shown why you are one of the world’s great teams. Now, with the whole country behind you, the moment has come to fight for the title. Thank you for letting us enjoy this journey,” was the message accompanying the video, which has become one of the Spanish monarchy’s greatest communications successes in recent years.
Hugs, nerves and customized jerseys
In these heartwarming family scenes, which quickly went viral on social networks, we can see the Royal Family living with great happiness the ninety minutes of the Spain-France encounter and celebrating the goals by Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro. There were no shortages of hugs, smiles, nerves and commentary on the most interesting plays of the match.
Felipe and Letizia, as well as their two daughters, wore the white national team jersey that has become so popular during the World Cup. Their jerseys were also personalized with their names and all wore the number 26. Although it is a reference to the year in which the competition takes place, as a curiosity, it is also the number worn by the Galician striker Borja Iglesias.
The Spanish royal family has once again demonstrated their constant support for our sport and, in particular, for the men’s football team in the 2026 World Cup. First, with the unexpected video featuring Felipe VI to announce Luis de la Fuente’s call-up. And later, with the monarch’s trip to Mexico to support La Roja during their group-stage victory over Uruguay.
Felipe VI will be at the World Cup final
Now the Spanish team awaits a rival for the final, which will come from the Argentina vs England match. The date with glory in the 2026 World Cup will take place next Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in New York. To cheer on our team live, King Felipe VI has already confirmed his presence in the Big Apple.
“He will be in the final. He hasn’t told me whether he is coming with the Queen as well,” said the president of the Spanish Football Federation, Rafa Louzán, in statements to El Larguero on Cadena SER. Now we still have to see if the monarch will be accompanied by a family member in New York. In the last Euro 2024 final, it was Princess Sofia, a great football fan, who stood beside her father in Berlin and acted as a talisman for La Roja. Will she bring us luck again this time?
