Pope Leo, the first American leader of the global Catholic Church, is trading Vatican diplomacy for soccer fandom. From aboard his papal flight to Madrid, the pontiff-born Robert Prevost in a Chicago suburb-declared his support for the U.S. national team in this month's World Cup.
"I would certainly support the U.S.," Leo told a journalist. "I don't know how many games I'll be able to see, but I wish them all the best."
Co-hosts with Canada and Mexico, the U.S. faces Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey in Group D. Leo previously revealed he would root for Peru over the U.S., but Peru failed to qualify-opening the door for an American papal blessing.
The pope also settled a personal rivalry: "The pope is for all teams," he said when asked about Real Madrid versus Barcelona. "Prevost is for Real Madrid."