Beckham's joy at Brooklyn pregnancy news contrasts sharply with today's family estrangement

David Beckham discovered Victoria was pregnant with their first child Brooklyn on the eve of England’s round-of-16 match against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup in France — a game that would end in his infamous red card and England’s penalty-shootout exit in Saint-Étienne.

Speaking in the 2023 Netflix documentary Beckham, Victoria recalled the moment she broke the news by phone: “He was so so happy, we both were. There was never any doubt in my mind I shouldn’t tell him, it was what we wanted. He could not have been happier.” When documentary director Frazer Campbell asked whether she worried the news might unsettle him before the biggest game of his career, Victoria admitted she had not been certain at the time.

David, now 51, was candid about his instinct in the immediate aftermath. “It was the first thing I wanted to do but I couldn’t,” he said of his desire to leave England’s camp and be with Victoria. He was eventually permitted to fly home early to be with her once the tournament ended for England.

That warmth stands in stark contrast to the current state of the Beckham family. Brooklyn, 27, has been estranged from his parents following a series of public disputes that surfaced last year, and the rift shows little sign of closing.

The tension was brought back into focus this week after Brooklyn appeared in a DoorDash advertisement that appeared to reference the family fallout. In the clip, he is shown sitting on his sofa before telling the camera: “You’re probably wondering why I’m watching the FIFA World Cup 2026 from home.” He then laughs and tosses a pair of World Cup tickets onto a coffee table, adding: “It’s a long story.”

The ad drew renewed attention to the estrangement, given that the 2026 World Cup — co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — is expected to be a significant moment for David Beckham, who co-owns Inter Miami and has been closely involved in the tournament’s build-up through his MLS franchise.

Whether the family rift will be resolved before or during the tournament remains unclear, but Brooklyn’s decision to lean into the narrative publicly suggests reconciliation is not imminent.