Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán watched Spain’s 2–0 victory over France in the World Cup semi-final from the stands of the Dallas stadium, accompanied by several members of his family.

Orbán, a well-known football enthusiast, had previously announced that he planned to attend the final stages of the tournament in the United States. Footage of him watching the match unexpectedly appeared online after users spotted him in a livestream by popular American streamer IShowSpeed.

The clip shows Orbán reacting to key moments of the match, including raising his hands in frustration before returning to his familiar match-watching pose, standing with his arms crossed while following the game.

Orbán family members also spotted in the stands

A closer look at the footage revealed several members of Orbán’s family among the group sitting near him.

His son Gáspár Orbán was seen wearing a red cap, while his daughter Sára Orbán and her husband Tamás Szokira were also identified among the spectators. The man sitting next to the former prime minister was reportedly János Jakab, honorary president of Budapest football club Budafok.

The group was seated in the rows below the VIP section, rather than in the main VIP box.

Meanwhile, Sándor Csányi, president of the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) and vice-president of FIFA, watched the match from the VIP area, where he was seated close to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Orbán backed France, but Spain advanced

Orbán had predicted that France would win the semi-final, meaning the result was clearly not what he had hoped for.

During the match, cameras captured his frustration as Spain dominated the game and eliminated one of the tournament favourites. At one point, after Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty, Orbán quickly sat back down, while other moments saw him shaking his head and gesturing in disappointment.

The former prime minister will not have to wait long for another match, however. Continuing his long-standing tradition of attending major football events, Orbán is also expected to watch the other semi-final and the World Cup final.

His trip to the United States began just as Hungary’s parliament voted on the 17th amendment to the Fundamental Law. The move had been heavily criticised by the opposition, with the Fidesz party previously warning of a serious constitutional crisis.

Orbán’s absence during the vote drew attention, as the former prime minister travelled to the US to attend football matches while the political debate continued at home.

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