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It all comes down to this: Spain and Argentina meet in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday at the New York New Jersey Stadium in the world’s most important game. It is a clash between two elite national teams, both producing remarkable performances in their respective semi-final victories.
It pits the reigning European champions, who are unbeaten in their last 14 matches at major tournaments (13 wins and one draw), against a team whose success is second to none, the two-time reigning Copa América holders and defending World Cup champions.
Here’s everything you need to know about the FIFA World Cup final:
Spain vs. Argentina: This is how you see
Winning any major international tournament is exceptionally difficult as it requires world class talent, top training, no days off and even a little bit of luck. On Sunday, Argentina will attempt to win their fourth straight major tournament in what would be an unprecedented feat.
Of course, the feat was made possible by Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time.
The striking thing about Messi’s career is that most of his international success began at the age of 34 with the 2021 Copa América, where he was named the best player of the tournament to lead Argentina to its first title since 1993. He then won the 2022 World Cup at the age of 35, where he was again named the best player. Argentina repeated the 2024 Copa América title in the United States despite Messi scoring just one goal and leaving the final injured.
Now at the 2026 World Cup, Messi has once again continued to dominate the tournament at the age of 39. He scored Argentina’s first five goals of the tournament and just three of the team’s 14 goals in the last five games. What is so impressive is that in the last five games he has actually played his best because he has lifted his teammates.
Against England, Messi took advantage of England’s defensive shift after the Three Lions took a 1-0 lead. He then assisted on Enzo Fernández’s 85th-minute equalizer and Lautaro Martinez’s stoppage-time winner. Instead, Messi has helped to balance the team’s attack and give it more versatility.
Argentina has an incredible amount of talent, and Messi has helped bring it all to its potential. Lionel Scaloni also has this team playing with raw intensity and a desire to win that has not been matched. Argentina have been vulnerable at times in this tournament, such as trailing Egypt by two late goals or trailing 1-0 to England in the 85th minute. But Argentina have excelled when their backs have been against the wall.
If there’s any team that can match Argentina’s intensity, it’s Spain. La Roja played a near-perfect game in its 2-0 win over France in the semi-finals. What makes Spain so great is that all the players are so deeply committed to the system implemented by head coach Luis de la Fuente.
No team in this tournament can pass and move as well as Spain. Once Spain have possession, it is extremely difficult to win it back. So on the defensive side, Spain knows how to close down spaces and force turnovers.
Everyone in Spain plays a role in its system, but Rodri is the glue that makes the team move. Against France, Manchester City’s central midfielder made a world-class switch in connecting the ball from midfield into attack. So defensively, he forced France into turnovers. He also won a significant percentage of his duels to keep Spain in possession.
Spain’s attack is led by teenager Lamine Yamal and veteran striker Mikel Oyarzabal, who spent his entire career at Real Sociedad as opposed to the top clubs where elite centre-forwards play. Oyarzabal has been a perfect center forward for Spain’s system and he typically finds ways to score big goals. Yamal, on the other hand, is a teenage superstar in Barcelona who is on the verge of becoming the next global superstar. Of course, if the winger can now in the World Cup, he will be on a path reserved only for the biggest players.
The architect behind the rise of Spain is de la Fuente. The team has become completely dedicated to his vision. During his tenure, Spain won all seven matches at Euro 2024 and have now won six of seven at this World Cup. The only blemish he has in a major tournament leading Spain is a 0-0 draw with Cape Verde.
But de la Fuente has created a team that is extremely difficult to break down. Through seven games, La Roja conceded just one goal. In the semi-finals, world-class forwards Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé never looked dangerous. De la Fuente’s side are as prepared as any team this decade to contain Messi.
This game has no clear favourites. Just two great teams led by global stars. It will be an extremely hard fought game and the winner will be a worthy champion.
Players to watch
Forward · Argentina
Everyone needs to see Lionel Messi in this match because this could be the last chance to see the best player ever play in an important match for his country. He will be looking to win his fourth straight major title for La Albiceleste and add to his record 21 career World Cup goals. At the age of 39, Messi only keeps getting better. With his two assists against England, he now has eight goals and two assists in this tournament. He became the first player ever to have over 10 goals involved in consecutive World Cups after scoring seven and assisting three goals in 2022.
Midfielder · Argentina
Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández has a critical task on Sunday. As a central midfielder, he is tasked with going against the heart of Spain’s system in the middle of the pitch, where Rodi and Fabian Ruiz typically dictate the game on their terms. Fernandez had a fantastic performance against England. Even beyond his goal, Fernandez was very effective in his passing, making few mistakes, switching points of attack and regularly getting the ball into dangerous positions. He needs to be just as effective against Spain for Argentina to have a good chance.
The 19-year-old centre-back is perhaps the best centre-back in the world after what he has shown in this tournament. Already a regular starter for Barcelona, Cubarsí has been even more impressive with Spain, being a major reason his side have conceded just one goal in their seven games at the World Cup. Handling Argentina will require another big effort, but if he succeeds, he will be widely regarded as a global superstar and the most valuable player in the world in his position.
Manchester City’s central midfielder is the engine of Spain’s system. He is a tireless worker who is so effective on both sides of the ball. He will present Argentina with the toughest test it has faced at this World Cup. If he can control the midfield and force Argentina to chase the game like France did, Spain have an excellent chance of winning. For La Roja, it starts with him.
