The 2026 World Cup final attracted more than football fans. Billionaires, CEOs, founders, and celebrities descended on New Jersey's MetLife Stadium on Sunday, as Spain beat Argentina 1-0 to lift the trophy.
Their presence reflected a broader theme of this year's tournament.
This year's World Cup has become FIFA's most commercialized and expensive yet, with Category 1 tickets costing as much as $10,990 in the April open sale, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino traveling roughly 70,000 miles aboard a Qatar Executive private jet to attend 44 matches across North America.
Here are some of the biggest names from the business world who turned up for the final.
Bjørn Gulden, CEO of Adidas
Ahead of the final, Gulden posted Instagram stories from MetLife Stadium wearing a custom jersey that combined half of Spain's shirt with half of Argentina's.
Adidas has supplied the official World Cup match ball for decades and remains one of FIFA's biggest commercial partners, making Gulden one of the highest-profile executives around the tournament.
Ed Stack, executive chairman of Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods Billionaire Ed Stack also appeared in one of Gulden's Instagram stories from the World Cup final.
One photo showed the executive alongside Gulden, NBA star James Harden, NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane, Argentine music producer Bizarrap, and Brazilian footballer Marcelo.
Robert Kraft, chairman and CEO of Kraft Group
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft appeared alongside Infantino and Gulden before the final.
The billionaire businessman has long been one of the most influential figures in American sports and was among the high-profile guests attending FIFA's showcase event.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google
The Google CEO posted a video of New Jersey's MetLife Stadium after Spain's 1-0 victory over Argentina, congratulating the team on "an absolutely incredible performance" and "a beautiful display of teamwork all tournament."
He congratulated the Argentina team and its captain, Lionel Messi, "on a great run" and said he was already looking forward to 2030.
MrBeast, founder of Beast Industries
MrBeast turned his trip to the final into content.
The YouTube entrepreneur blindfolded two fellow creators, drove them to MetLife Stadium without telling them where they were going, and revealed they had VIP suite tickets just minutes before kickoff.
"Here is your VIP suite ticket," he told them in a TikTok video, before ushering them into the stadium as the match was about to begin.
Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal
Steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal watched the final from FIFA's VIP suite alongside Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Gianni Infantino, among others.
Michael Rubin, founder and CEO of Fanatics
Rubin posted on Instagram that he was heading from Fanatics Fest to the World Cup final.
The sports memorabilia and collectibles convention became one of the biggest side events of finals weekend, drawing athletes, celebrities, league executives, and investors before many headed to MetLife Stadium.
Photos accompanying Rubin's Instagram post showed him alongside celebrities, including Justin Bieber, who performed at MetLife Stadium during the halftime show of Sunday's final.
A notable absentee: Elon Musk
One notable absentee was Elon Musk.
The world's richest man attended the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar, where he was photographed alongside the former CEO of Qatar Investment Authority, Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud, and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
This time, however, Musk did not appear to attend the final, based on public photos, social media posts, and media reports.
Source: Business Insider
