World Cup Final Prediction: Argentina vs Spain
John Arnold and Seth Bartelny predict who they think will win the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.
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NEW YORK — What a gift this World Cup final is, seeing the past and future together in the present.
The torch ceremony won’t actually take place on Sunday, but don’t think about it, FIFA, you’ve already wasted enough of the afternoon. The final match between Argentina and Spain will be like this:
Lionel Messi, in the twilight of his career, and Lamine Yamal, just beginning his career, will meet for the first and perhaps only time. Messi is incredibly still at his brilliant best, and his extremely talented successor is clear on the other side of the field. It is inconceivable that both were linked in the past to create what many can only describe as fate.
“He’s one of the top players,” Messi said of the young Spanish star during an appearance at Fanatics Fest on Friday, July 17.
“He has his whole career in front of him and he has a chance to make history,” Messi added, “but we will do our best to make sure this is not the case.”
Both Messi and Lamar defy expectations
In every game, there are great players who have persevered long past their prime, and we cringe as we watch them squeeze the last tournament or season out of their bodies. Some child prodigies burst into flames because their skills and spirit cannot withstand the weight of expectations and the heat of the spotlight.
This is not the case with Messi or Yamal.
Messi, 39, is undoubtedly the best player at this World Cup. He leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals and four assists, heading into his second consecutive World Cup final against reigning champions Argentina.
Is he as fast as he used to be? No, but there are just a few possessions every game where Messi does something so great that it’s mesmerizing enough to surprise you.
Let’s take a look at Argentina’s recent come-from-behind victory. Messi had an assist on both goals, and the second one was simply amazing. He went for the rebound – he could move when he needed to – and sent a perfect ball to Lautaro Martinez, who headed it in for the winning goal.
Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni said, “It’s history. It’s a legend.” “I think it’s incredible to be able to reach the final at this moment, at the age of 39.”
Meanwhile, Yamal may only have one goal in this tournament, but the 19-year-old is so destructive and crafty that he has been named Player of the Match twice. In the semi-final win over France, it was Yamal who committed the foul that earned Spain a penalty, which was converted by Mikel Oyarzabal to give La Roja the only goal they needed.
“It’s not just Lamine, there’s a reason why they’re in the final,” Argentina goalkeeper Emi “Dib” Martinez said.
But it’s Yamal, the Spanish supernova. Same as Messi of Argentina.
Messi and Yamal work together from the start
The bond between Messi and Yamal goes back a long way. It goes back to when Yamal was a toddler and Messi had long hair. Now famous images show Messi, 20, cradling and giving five-month-old Yamal a bath as part of a photo shoot for a charity campaign.
“The beginning of two legends,” Yamal’s father Mounir Nasrawi wrote when he posted a photo of Messi and Yamal during the 2024 European Championship.
When Yamal got older, it was Barcelona that brought them together. Yamal was seven years old when he entered Barça’s famous Masia Academy, once following in the same footsteps as Messi. After Messi left first for PSG and then Inter Miami, he continued to pursue the youngster to whom he had already been compared.
Messi told Diario Sport in May: “There is a new generation of very good footballers who have many years ahead of them, but if I had to choose one because of his age, what he has achieved so far and what he has in store for the future, it would be Lamine.”
“There’s no question, for me he’s the best.”
similar career arc
Yamal made his debut in Barcelona’s first team at the age of 15, two years younger than Messi, and both players quickly made their presence known. By the end of their fourth season, they each had 30 goals and more than 12 assists (although Yamal’s first season was all in one game) and were already starting to fill their trophy case.
Messi won two La Liga titles in his first four years, while Yamal has already won three. Messi won the Champions League in his second year at Barcelona, and Yamal helped Spain win the European title in his second year at Barça.
The world of football will be extremely lucky if Yamal’s career continues on the same trajectory as Messi’s. It will be like Michael Jordan giving way to LeBron James. Or Patrick Mahomes in the Tom Brady spotlight.
Spanish national team coach Luis de la Fuente warned, “Messi is a player that cannot be replicated.” “Lamin has to be Lamin. The best way we can help him is to support him and help him become the Ramin we know, because he has an extraordinary future.”
Just like Messi once did.
There will never be another Lionel Messi. But there will also be Lamine Yamal and seeing them together in the World Cup final is a privilege that no one should take for granted.
Follow USA TODAY sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
