Eileen Gu posted a series of Instagram stories wearing a Spain jersey ahead of the first semifinal of the FIFA World Cup. She rooted for Spain against France in the posts, which were part of a partnership with TCL.
Eileen Gu and the World Cup post
The skier is an Olympic freestyle skiing champion who competes for China despite being born in the United States. Her World Cup post drew attention because it added another public choice to a career already watched across sports and fashion.
Gu excels in big air, halfpipe and slopestyle, and her performances have earned Olympic medals and World Cup titles. She also maintains a strong global following after her performance at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games earlier this year.
Spain against France
The Instagram stories showed Gu backing Spain in its game against France. That put a national team preference into a highly visible tournament moment, with the Spain jersey making the choice plain on screen.
The post also fit the way Gu’s public image travels beyond skiing. She has built attention through competition, modeling and business ventures, and even a short set of stories can draw notice when it lands during the first semifinal of the FIFA World Cup.
China and the United States
Gu’s choice stood out because she competes for China while her birthplace is the United States. That split has made her public appearances easy to read as more than casual sports fandom, especially when they appear in a branded post tied to TCL.
For fans and media outlets, the immediate takeaway is simple: Gu used one of the sport’s biggest stages to show support for Spain. The open question is not whether the post was seen, but why she chose that side in that moment.
