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WHO: Spain vs Argentina
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 final
That: New York-New Jersey Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
When: Sunday at 3pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We will have all the construction Al Jazeera Sport from 15:00 GMT before we start our live commentary.
Chaos vs calm. Godfather vs heir. World number one vs world number two.
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His stories couldn’t be better.
As the sun shines in New York, soccer’s biggest stage is preparing for its final closing: the final of the FIFA World Cup between Argentina and Spain.
It’s a gift to football purists, a clash of philosophies, if you like – Argentina, masters of governance who have made a habit of accepting pain, and Spain, European champions who have taught the world the art of governance.
On the one hand is the unstoppable, almost unnatural energy of Lionel Messi – whose movements on the field are nothing less than from a magic wand – and on the other hand is Lamine Yamal, a young player whose beauty on the field and proud personality show the signs of a superstar in the making.
So when the confetti falls and explodes, will Argentina be lifting a second straight world title, or will Spain’s golden age bring joy after 16 years of waiting?
Here’s everything you need to know about seismic exposure:
How did Spain and Argentina reach the World Cup final?
Spain top Group H with seven points, beating Saudi Arabia and Uruguay and drawing with Cape Verde. They started their knock-out campaign by beating Austria 3-0 in the round of 32 earlier defeating Portugal 1-0 with a late goal in the Iberian football derby in the round of 16.
Their path to the semifinals was confirmed by a Belgium won 2-1then he confounded his favorite subjects of France, and directed their invasion won the semifinal 2-0.
Argentina had a strong showing in the first round, topping Group J by beating Algeria, Austria and Jordan. In the round of 32, they were pushed to the limit before defeating Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time, and went from two goals down to they beat Egypt 3-2 in a tough last 16 match that drew allegations about to do favoritism.
Against Switzerland in the quarterfinals, he played another 120 minutes before getting a 3-1 victory and broke the hearts of the English and a late 2-1 comeback win in the best-of-three semifinals.
Messi’s Last Dance?
If it wasn’t for the new records Messi made in the last month, the 39-year-old is expected to add another one to his list – the oldest player in the finals of the World Cup.
It may also be his last.
Leo – as the Argentines often call him – did not talk about his future, but with a high performance, which won his victory in the World Cup 2022, this year’s competition seems to be the last, especially if he achieves the dream of repeating the World Cup.
“He’s made history. He’s a legend,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said of Messi, one of the greatest players to ever grace the soccer field.
Ten years ago, disappointed after losing the Copa America final to Chile, his fourth final loss to Argentina, Messi hung up his boots. The story also touched on the fact that despite his impressive performances at club level, international glory eluded Messi.
But as recently as 2026, the Argentina captain has led his team to back-to-back World Cup appearances and is looking to claim his first Golden Boot – a twist of fate even Messi would not have imagined.
“To reach the finals like he has done now, at the age of 39, I think it’s amazing,” added Scaloni. “This is why I said we should be happy to have him, because we saw what happened with Diego (Maradona) and how we ended up missing him.
“We have Leo, and we should be grateful. He is a legend and a legend, as are all the players who have given us these wonderful years.”
The young magician from Rosario will lead Argentina on Sunday, as La Albiceleste aims to become the third team in the history of the competition to retain the World Cup after Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962).
Slick Spain to stop Argentina
Unlike Argentina, whose game is based on the skills of Messi, Spain is a team that is strongly built on the team.
La Roja likes to keep possession and stifle the potential of any opponent.
Their consistent and resilient defense has kept six clean sheets, previously the most in a single World Cup, and conceded just one goal in the final.
On Sunday, Spain will carry more hunger than fear against Argentina, “the team to beat”, as explained by captain Rodri.
“We’ve been growing slowly, as we’ve seen the team mature over the last few years,” Rodri said. “This team and this generation have made a name for themselves… and now they have reached the final of the World Cup.
“So we’re happy with the journey this team has taken, but we’re not just stopping there, our ambitions are moving forward.”
A favorite of the bookmakers from the start, Spain played as a side that knows how to deal with pressure. They excelled in the tournament in their impressive defeat of France in the semifinals, holding off a brave Les Blues attack.
Rodri said that while the performance was “the best” the Spanish team has ever produced, they will need to step up to beat Argentina and win their first World Cup since 2010.
“I think we have to raise the level because they are the professionals. And I am confident that we can do (this),” he added.
Spain vs Argentina predictions
Opta’s supercomputer sees Spain as the final favorite, with a 45% chance of winning in 90 minutes. It predicts a 26% chance that Argentina will win in regulation time, while there is a 29% chance that the match will go to extra time or penalties.
Overall, Spain has a 59.56 percent chance of winning the 2026 World Cup, while Argentina has a 40.44 percent chance of retaining the title they won in Qatar four years ago.
Who are the players for Spain vs Argentina?
- Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)
- Assistant 1: Tomasz Klancnik (Slovenia)
- Assistant 2: Andraz Kovacic (Slovenia)
- Fourth: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
- Assistant referee: Mohammad Alkalaf (Jordan)
Spain vs Argentina: Kick-off time, where to watch
- Spain: DAZN Mundial (9pm, Central European Summer Time)
- Argentina: TyC Sports, TyC Play (4pm, Argentina Standard Time)
- United Kingdom: BBC One, BBC iPlayer, STV, STV Player, ITV1, ITVX, Red Button 1 (8pm, British Summer Time)
- US: Fox, Fox One, Peacock, Telemundo App and Network, Universo, Telexitos (3pm, Eastern Daylight Time)
To view the TV schedule for your country, visit the FIFA TV schedule Here.
Where is Spain vs Argentina playing?
The World Cup final will be played on MetLife Stadiumhome of two National Football League (NFL) teams: the New York Giants and the New York Jets. For the FIFA World Cup, the venue was temporarily renamed the New York-New Jersey Stadium.
The stadium, which was built in 2010, has a capacity of 82,500 spectators. The venue also hosted the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final and all the semifinals.
What is the weather and air quality forecast for New Jersey?
AccuWeather is forecasting mostly sunny and humid weather for Sunday in New Jersey.
Smoking from Canadian Fireworks has covered much of the northeastern US, prompting health warnings. On Thursday, the air in New Jersey was rated “unhealthy for critical groups” by several air monitoring platforms.
But on Sunday, the US government’s air quality monitoring site, airnow.gov, expected the air quality index (AQI) to be “moderate”.
Spain vs Argentina: head to head
This will be the second World Cup meeting between Spain and Argentina, with Argentina winning 2-1 in the group stage in 1966.
- Similarities: 16
- Spain wins: 6
- Argentina wins: 6
- Drawings: 2
Spain vs Argentina: Previous results (all friendlies)
- Spain 6-1 Argentina (March 2018)
- Spain 1-4 Argentina (September 2010)
- Spain 2-1 Argentina (November 2009)
- Spain 2-1 Argentina (11 October 2006)
- Spain 0-2 Argentina (November 1999)
Spain vs Argentina: Team news
No casualties were reported in either camp.
Predicted Spanish championship
(4-2-3-1): Simon (goalkeeper); Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Ruiz; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal
Predicted tournament of Argentina
(4-1-3-2): Martinez (goalkeeper); Molina, Romero, Lisandro, Tagliafico; Walls; De Paul, Fernandez, McAllister; Messi, Alvarez
