Blake Lively appeared to be in good spirits at the FIFA World Cup Final on Sunday, stepping out with a group of close girlfriends after weeks of renewed attention on her reported fallout with Taylor Swift.
The actress, 38, shared a smiling selfie on Instagram Stories from the stands as Spain faced Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final. According to Page Six’s report, Lively attended the match with a small group of non-famous friends, including Stoney Clover Lane founders Kendall and Libby Glazer and longtime friend Emma Gray. Her husband, Ryan Reynolds, was not seen in the photo.
For the outing, Lively kept her look relaxed and casual, wearing a striped button-up shirt over a white tank top, light-wash jeans and sunglasses. The image showed the actress smiling brightly with her friends, giving fans a glimpse of a more laid-back public appearance after a turbulent period in the headlines.
The World Cup Final itself was a major celebrity event. Vogue reported that the Spain vs. Argentina match drew more than 80,000 fans and a long list of famous attendees, including Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, David and Victoria Beckham, Serena Williams, Matt Damon, Mick Jagger and many others.
But for celebrity watchers, Lively’s appearance carried an extra layer of meaning because it came shortly after Taylor Swift’s highly publicized wedding to Travis Kelce — an event Lively reportedly did not attend.
Lively and Swift were once among Hollywood’s most visible celebrity friends. Their bond appeared deeply personal, not just professional. Swift spent years close to Lively and Reynolds, referenced the couple’s children in her music, and was widely described as the godmother of their children. The two women were photographed together at public events, private outings and major cultural moments, including the 2024 Super Bowl, where Swift cheered on Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs.
That history made Lively’s absence from Swift and Kelce’s Madison Square Garden wedding especially noticeable.
Earlier this month, Swift and Kelce celebrated their wedding in New York City with a star-filled guest list reportedly including Selena Gomez, Gigi Hadid, Bradley Cooper, Tom Brady, Brad Pitt and many others. Lively and Reynolds, once expected by many fans to be among the most obvious guests, were not seen at the ceremony or its surrounding events.
On the night of Swift and Kelce’s rehearsal dinner, Lively and Reynolds were reportedly in Lake Placid, New York, supporting their daughter Betty at a horse show. A week after the wedding, the couple was later spotted outside the United States, having lunch on the rooftop of a Mexican restaurant in Canada.
Page Six previously reported, citing sources, that Lively had not received a wedding invitation after tensions grew between her and Swift. Another report said Lively was reportedly upset by being left off the guest list, with one account describing the exclusion as “incredibly unfair.”
The alleged rift has been widely linked to Lively’s legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni. The dispute drew intense attention after court filings claimed that Lively had referenced Reynolds and Swift during creative disagreements connected to the film. In one exchange cited in the complaint, Lively allegedly described herself as “Khaleesi” and referred to Reynolds and Swift as her “dragons” and “most trusted partners.”
The matter became even more explosive when Swift was subpoenaed as a witness in the case in May 2025. A spokesperson for Swift strongly denied that the singer had any involvement with the film beyond licensing her song “My Tears Ricochet,” as 19 other artists had also licensed music for the project. Swift’s team described the subpoena as an attempt to use her name for tabloid attention rather than focus on the facts of the case.
The subpoena involving Swift was later withdrawn, but the episode appears to have left a mark on the friendship. Sources cited by entertainment outlets have claimed Swift felt hurt and did not appreciate being pulled into the legal fight. Neither Swift nor Lively has publicly confirmed the status of their friendship.
The Baldoni-Lively dispute has continued to make headlines even after a reported settlement in May. According to the available case summaries, Baldoni’s side challenged Lively’s request for more than $8 million in legal fees, calling the amount excessive and asking a judge to reduce it.
Despite the legal drama and public speculation, Lively has not disappeared from public life. She has attended events, posted family and friend moments online, and appeared alongside Reynolds in social media updates. Her World Cup Final selfie seemed to send a simple message: she is still showing up, still smiling and still surrounding herself with people close to her.
For fans, however, the timing made the image impossible to separate from the Taylor Swift conversation.
A World Cup Final selfie would normally be just another celebrity sighting. But after weeks of reports about wedding invitations, friendship breaks and legal fallout, Lively’s cheerful appearance with friends became part of a much larger story about celebrity loyalty, public embarrassment and moving forward under scrutiny.
The contrast was striking.
Swift was entering married life after one of the most talked-about weddings of the year. Lively, once part of Swift’s inner circle, was watching a global sporting event with friends instead of appearing in the wedding photos fans once assumed she would be in.
That does not prove everything the tabloids claim. Friendships can shift quietly, and private pain rarely looks the way the public imagines. But in celebrity culture, absence often speaks loudly.
And right now, Blake Lively’s absence from Taylor Swift’s wedding may be speaking louder than any Instagram selfie could.
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