The long journey has ended and only two teams are left standing. On Sunday, July 19, Spain and Argentina will go head-to-head at New York New Jersey Stadium for the biggest prize in football.
Spain. Argentina.
The #FIFAWorldCup Final. pic.twitter.com/mfcSIkYplu
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 15, 2026
Argentina’s journey
Argentina had to fight its way here. They were losing in the semi-final against England before Lionel Messi turned the game around with two assists
The defending champions haven’t lost a single match in this tournament and are chasing something special: back-to-back World Cup titles. This is a feat no team has managed since Brazil in the early 1960s.
Another trophy would cement Messi’s place as the greatest to ever play the game for the 39-year-old.
Spain’s Journey
Spain’s path looked calmer, but not less impressive. Spain’s first match of the group stage was a 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, but they won the rest of the matches.
They swept aside Austria, glided past Portugal and then downed Belgium in the quarter-finals, the only game they conceded in the tournament.
Spain were in complete control in the semifinal against France, shutting down a star-studded attack and winning 2 goals to Nil.
Lamine Yamal has been a big part of that run, and Sunday will be his first time facing Messi on the international stage.
Veteran vs Wonderkid
Messi, the veteran seeking history. Yamal, the teenager who wrote his own.
Spain go in as favorites thanks to a defense that has hardly been breached. But Argentina has a way of coming up with the goods when it counts.
According to ESPN, The top 2 highest ranked teams will face each other for the first time in the final
Two giants of the game, one last match. Sunday, a champion will be crowned.
