Lionel Messi and Argentina will aim to become the first team since 1962 to defend their World Cup crown when they face Spain in a dream final at MetLife Stadium on Sunday 19 July.
The 39-year-old Messi has scored eight goals in this World Cup, but the title holders face European champions Spain, and surprisingly he has conceded just one goal in seven games in the tournament. Spain midfielder Rodri said, “For me, he is the best player of all time.” “But Argentina is not just about Messi.”
Argentina has won the World Cup three times in its history, in 1978, 1986 and 2022, while Spain is aiming for its second World Cup title, the first being in South Africa in 2010.
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Argentina vs Spain highlights
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More than 30 minutes into the World Cup final, we are still scoreless and Argentina is growing more and more into the game. Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon has been put in several uncomfortable situations under pressure, but has managed to clean up.
The World Cup final remains scoreless after 24 minutes, with each team taking a hydration break.
Messi registered just one touch in the first 15 minutes of the game.
Still scoreless in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Spain looks likely to score early.
Spain put pressure on from the start, with Lamine Yamal having problems getting in behind and Emi Martinez having to save from a deflection in the fourth minute.
The 2026 World Cup finals have officially begun at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
- GK: Emi Martinez
- D.F.: Gonzalo Montiel
- D.F.: Cristian Romero
- D.F.: Lisandro Martinez
- D.F.: Nicolas Tagliafico
- M.F.: Rodrigo DePaul
- M.F.: Nico Gonzalez
- M.F.:Alexis Mac Allister
- M.F.: Enzo Fernandes
- FW: Lionel Messi
- FW: Julian Alvarez
- GK: Unai Simon
- DF: Pedro Polo
- D.F.:Pau Kubalsi
- D.F.: Aymeric Laporte
- D.F.: Marc Cucurella
- Midfielder: Rodri
- Midfielder: Fabian Ruiz
- Midfielder: Dani Olmo
- FW: Lamine Yamal
- FW: Mikel Oyarzabal
- FW: Alex Baena
The Secret Service and other security officials closed the gates and portions of the concourse at MetLife Stadium about an hour before the scheduled 3 p.m. kickoff. As motorcades began arriving at the stadium, the Secret Service began closing down the concourses.
Trump is not the only high-ranking official participating in the final race. Leaders of the other co-hosting countries, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carnelly, were also scheduled to be here.
The game will kick off at 3pm ET.
The 2026 World Cup Final will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Seth Bartelny: Spain 2-0 Argentina
Argentina were on the verge of being eliminated from the World Cup against England, but the Three Lions stopped holding the ball. Spain have no such problem, and if La Roja can take the lead, Argentina’s chances of a comeback may ultimately be curtailed.
John Arnold: Spain 1-2 Argentina
The winner of this matchup will be the team that can get on the ball more often and find the right spaces. Spain’s midfield is terrifying, but so is Lionel Messi, who leaves with the trophy on the biggest stage of all.
Jesse Yomtov: Spain 0 – 1 Argentina
Argentina found the magic moment to break through Spain’s history-making defense and Lionel Messi came out on top with his second World Cup victory.
Victoria Hernandez: Spain 2 – 1 Argentina
Argentina’s late-game surge has paid off so far. However, Spain have shown they can take control of the game and will do so again. The way they played against a very talented French team shows they are hungry and focused to win this World Cup.
Many New York Knicks are already in attendance, including Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jose Alvarado, who said summer in New York City is “beautiful.” Acquired in a mid-season trade, Alvarado won with the Knicks and participated in the Puerto Rico Day parade the next day.
As for Brunson, his rehabilitation from surgery didn’t prevent him from attending last night’s WWE event with Roman Reigns at Madison Square Garden. He told USA TODAY it was “awesome” to work with tribal leaders.
Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal, who reached the final, has scored five goals in the 2026 World Cup.
He scored the winning goal in the Euro 2024 final against England.
round 16
- July 4: France vs. Paraguay – Philadelphia
- July 4: Morocco vs. Canada – Houston
- July 5: Norway vs. Brazil – East Rutherford
- 5th July: England v Mexico – Mexico City
- July 6: Spain vs. Portugal – Arlington
- July 6: Belgium vs. USA – Seattle
- July 7: Argentina vs. Egypt – Atlanta
- July 7: Switzerland vs. Colombia – Vancouver
quarterfinals
- July 9: France vs. Morocco – Foxborough
- July 10: Spain vs. Belgium – Inglewood
- July 11: England vs. England – Miami
- July 11: Argentina vs. Switzerland – Kansas City
Semi-final
- July 14: Spain vs. France – Arlington
- July 15: Argentina vs. England – Atlanta
final
- July 19th at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
In a pre-recorded interview with Fox’s Jenny Taft, Donald Trump did not reveal his pick but said it would be difficult to bet against Lionel Messi, who will play what is likely his final World Cup match at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. So Argentina is better than Spain?
“…I’m not going to choose a side. I just think it’s very difficult to bet on Messi. He’s great.”
The only teams to have won the World Cup repeatedly are Italy in 1934 and 1938, and Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
- Champion: $50 million
- Runner-up: $33 million
- 3rd place: $29 million (England)
- 4th place: $27 million (France)
- 5th to 8th place: $19 million
- 9th to 16th: $15 million
- 17th to 32nd: $11 million
- 33rd to 48th: $9 million
Argentina striker Julián Álvarez currently plays for Atlético Madrid but is looking to move this summer.
- 2022: Argentina🇦🇷
- 2018: France 🇫🇷
- 2014: Germany 🇩🇪
- 2010: Spain🇪🇸
- 2006: Italy🇮🇹
- 2002: Brazil🇧🇷
- 1998: France 🇫🇷
- 1994: Brazil🇧🇷
- 1990: west germany
- 1986: Argentina🇦🇷
- 1982: Italy🇮🇹
- 1978: Argentina🇦🇷
- 1974: west germany
- 1970: Brazil🇧🇷
- 1966: England 🏴 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
- 1962: Brazil🇧🇷
- 1958: Brazil🇧🇷
- 1954: west germany
- 1950: Uruguay 🇺🇾
- 1938: Italy
- 1934: Italy
- 1930: Uruguay 🇺🇾
The 2026 World Cup finals will be held at MetLife Stadium, home of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi has scored 8 goals in the 2026 World Cup and 21 goals in his World Cup career.
Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, defeating France in the final on penalties.
Former Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has warned his team not to underestimate Argentina ahead of the World Cup final, describing their opponents as “really troublesome” and urging Spain to remain vigilant.
Del Bosque led Spain to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, defeating the Netherlands 1-0.
“Argentina are a difficult team to play against, a really annoying team if I may use that word, and they know exactly what they have to do,” Del Bosque said in an interview with El Pais newspaper published on Saturday.
“I think the final will be in Spain’s favor, but given Argentina’s difficulty and experience, we need to be wary of Argentina.”
– Reuters
The World Cup final kicks off at 2pm Central time.
Spain and Argentina last met in a 2018 friendly in Madrid, which Spain won 6-1 a few months before the 2018 World Cup.
Isco scored a hat-trick, with Diego Costa, Thiago Alcantara and Iago Aspas also scoring. the red.
Lionel Messi did not play in the match, and Nicolas Otamendi scored Argentina’s only goal.
Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon has broken the World Cup record of 517 minutes without conceding, set by Italian great Walter Zenga during Spain’s 3-0 win over Austria in the Round of 32 in 1990. The streak stretched to 650 minutes until Belgium finally scored in the 41st minute of the quarter-final, which Spain won 2-1. It remains the only goal he allowed. Spain also set a World Cup record for six consecutive games without conceding a goal, breaking ties with Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006-10).
The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each hosting one match in South America to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup.
FIFA has announced that Spain and Argentina will wear their home kits in the World Cup final. Both teams wear the colors most associated with them, creating an instantly recognizable kit match-up.
Argentina wears traditional light blue and white vertical stripes, paired with white pants and socks.
Spain will wear a red jersey with navy blue pants and socks.
The World Cup final kicks off at 1pm Mountain time.
Lionel Messi was teammate of Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Barcelona from 2009 to 2010.
Brazil has won the World Cup five times, the most of any country.
Germany and Italy have won four titles each, while Argentina has won three world championships.
- post malone
- tom cruise
- IShowSpeed
- Laura Pausini
- nicole scherzinger
- robbie williams
- Christopher Macchio
Goalkeeper: Unai Simon (Athletic Club), David Raya (Arsenal), João Garcia (Barcelona)
Defender: Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Alex Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Pau Kvarsi (Barcelona), Aymeric Laporte (Atletico Club), Marc Poubil (Atletico Madrid), Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Pedro Polo (Tottenham)
Midfielder: Pedri (Barcelona), Fabian Ruiz (PSG), Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal), Gabi (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Alex Baena (Atletico Madrid), Mikel Merino (Arsenal)
forward: Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Club), Elemy Pino (Crystal Palace), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo), Victor Muñoz (Osasuna), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Lulli (Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid)
Defender: Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Gonzalo Montiel (Riber Plate), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielder: Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo de Paul (Inter Miami), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Enzo Fernandes (Chelsea)
forward: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Julián Álvarez (Atletico Madrid), Nico González (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Nico Paz (Como), Jose Manuel López (Palmeiras), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
- 2034 – Saudi Arabia
- 2030 – Spain, Portugal, Morocco (+ Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay)
- 2026 – Canada, Mexico, USA
- 2022 – Qatar
- 2018 – Russia
- 2014 – Brazil
- 2010 – South Africa
- 2006 – Germany
- 2002 – Japan, Korea
- 1998 – France
- 1994 – US
- 1990 – Italy
- 1986 – Mexico
- 1982 – Spain
- 1978 – Argentina
- 1974 – West Germany
- 1970 – Mexico
- 1966 – England
- 1962 – Chile
- 1958 – Sweden
- 1954 – Switzerland
- 1950 – Brazil
- 1938 – France
- 1934 – Italy
- 1930 – Uruguay
The World Cup final kicks off at 12pm PT.
The World Cup final between Argentina and Spain is being held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Spain won its only World Cup in 2010, defeating the Netherlands in extra time with a goal from Andres Iniesta.
The next FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held in 2027, with Brazil hosting it for the first time.
A soccer match lasts 90 minutes, divided into 45-minute halves. In the knockout stage of the World Cup, matches that are tied at the end of regulation will go into 30 minutes of extra time, and if the teams still cannot tie, penalty kicks will be taken.
