President Javier Milei had planned to go to Washington this week for Donald Trump’s big World Cup event. Then he abruptly cancelled, in part because of a brewing football controversy at home.
An increasingly public spat with the head of the Argentine Football Association was a factor in skipping the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw, according to a person familiar with Milei’s decision. Slow progress on a long-sought US trade deal, of course, offered another reason for the well-travelled libertarian leader to stay home.
The president and the federation chief, Claudio 'Chiqui' Tapia, are at odds over Milei’s attempt to allow private ownership of teams in the football-obsessed nation. Tapia is set to attend Friday’s ceremony, which divides the 48 competing countries into 12 groups for the first round, so sharing the stage would have been awkward.
Last-minute changes the AFA made to local tournaments also shatte
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