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Editor's note: Follow for live updates on Argentina-Spain World Cup final
Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin is at MetLife Stadium for the World Cup final.
The 21-year-old gold medalist arrived in New Jersey to take in Spain vs. Argentina on Sunday, and he revealed a fun fact: the matchup is the first-ever soccer match he's attended. That's right. Malinin had never been to a soccer game before Sunday's final.
"This is the first match. This is the first soccer match I've ever been to. So I think it's honestly a pretty good first one," Malinin told USA TODAY.
"I'm most looking forward to the environment (and) camaraderie between the teams. I mean, both of these teams have been the best teams that they've ever had. So just to have these audiences and the fans, they're going to go crazy for these teams. And I'm here just to see may the best team win."
Relive 'America's World Cup' with our commemorative book: USA TODAY's summer of soccer book makes a perfect gift
Nicknamed the "Quad God" for his propensity of landing quadruple jumps, Malinin is one of skating’s brightest stars and captured the hearts of fans with his electric performances at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, where he won a gold medal as part of Team USA in the figure skating team event.
In the spirit of experiencing things for the first time, Malinin says he hopes people will watch figure skating and enjoy the sport's greatness.
"Honestly, I think it's just enjoy the beauty, enjoy the craft. And I think similar can be said here – is just enjoy the love of football, soccer and really just see how the audience gets together," Malinin said. "I mean, there's so many people from international regions that it's really similar to what we have as figure skaters. So it's just really nice to see a similar kind of environment."
With Malinin in the stands, Spain and Argentina will take the pitch at 3 p.m. ET in the 23rd edition of the World Cup. La Roja hopes to win its second title overall and first since 2010. La Albiceleste is seeking its fourth overall title and second consecutive championship after winning in 2022.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Quad God' Ilia Malinin attends World Cup final. It's his first soccer game
Continue reading...
Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin is at MetLife Stadium for the World Cup final.
The 21-year-old gold medalist arrived in New Jersey to take in Spain vs. Argentina on Sunday, and he revealed a fun fact: the matchup is the first-ever soccer match he's attended. That's right. Malinin had never been to a soccer game before Sunday's final.
"This is the first match. This is the first soccer match I've ever been to. So I think it's honestly a pretty good first one," Malinin told USA TODAY.
"I'm most looking forward to the environment (and) camaraderie between the teams. I mean, both of these teams have been the best teams that they've ever had. So just to have these audiences and the fans, they're going to go crazy for these teams. And I'm here just to see may the best team win."
Relive 'America's World Cup' with our commemorative book: USA TODAY's summer of soccer book makes a perfect gift
Nicknamed the "Quad God" for his propensity of landing quadruple jumps, Malinin is one of skating’s brightest stars and captured the hearts of fans with his electric performances at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, where he won a gold medal as part of Team USA in the figure skating team event.
In the spirit of experiencing things for the first time, Malinin says he hopes people will watch figure skating and enjoy the sport's greatness.
"Honestly, I think it's just enjoy the beauty, enjoy the craft. And I think similar can be said here – is just enjoy the love of football, soccer and really just see how the audience gets together," Malinin said. "I mean, there's so many people from international regions that it's really similar to what we have as figure skaters. So it's just really nice to see a similar kind of environment."
With Malinin in the stands, Spain and Argentina will take the pitch at 3 p.m. ET in the 23rd edition of the World Cup. La Roja hopes to win its second title overall and first since 2010. La Albiceleste is seeking its fourth overall title and second consecutive championship after winning in 2022.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Quad God' Ilia Malinin attends World Cup final. It's his first soccer game
Continue reading...
