The most important game of the World Cup will be played this Sunday. Argentina will play Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium to determine the winner of the 2026 World Cup, marking the end of a tournament that has been one of the most viewed in history, with 20 billion views across FIFA platforms.
Here’s what to look out for when watching the match on Sunday.
La Albiceleste has won the World Cup three times, in 1978, 1986, and most recently in 2022. This will be the team’s seventh World Cup final and the third for captain Lionel Messi.
Messi has been dominating this year’s tournament. The 39-year-old has scored eight goals and had four assists this tournament — he’s a difference-maker who allows Argentina to showcase its full potential. Along with Messi, Lautaro Martínez and Enzo Fernández have contributed to Argentina’s success. Fernández scored the first goal against England in the semifinal, marking his second goal of the tournament, and Martínez has scored three goals thus far, including the winning goal against England.
La Albiceleste’s route to the final looked easy on paper, with them not facing a team ranked in the top 15 in the FIFA world rankings until the semi-finals, when they faced No. 4 England.
This path was not as easy as one may have anticipated, however, with their game against Cape Verde being taken in extra time, resulting in a 3-2 win for Argentina. Egypt also claimed an “injustice” after a VAR decision led to an Argentina victory in the Round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Switzerland also took Argentina into extra time, following in a 3-1 victory for the South American side, with the two final goals being scored in overtime.
“It’s crazy how everything is unfolding. Honestly, before the World Cup began, I really believed in this group. I knew we would make the last four [teams] and that we would be in contention. And now we’ve reached another final,” Messi said in an interview with FIFA.
As it’s proved in these games and the semifinals against England, Argentina is a team that you can never count out. No matter how little time is left, La Albiceleste can and have proven that they will come back. This was on display during the semifinals, when Argentina scored an equalizer with five minutes left and then won the game in stoppage time.
England, along with Egypt and Cape Verde, played defensively after scoring their goals — and this led to their losses. Argentina has scored 10 goals this tournament in the 80th minute or later, proving that this defensive strategy is a risk that hasn’t worked — something that must be noted by Spain if they want to succeed in defeating Argentina.
“I know the Spanish side well and they have a style of play they’ve developed over many years. I know the players too,” Messi told FIFA. “I’ve played against many of them and I follow them closely. Several of the squad play for Barca, a club that means a great deal to me and that I still keep up with. It will be a special World Cup final and obviously, I expect it to be very closely matched.”
Spain has had a very successful tournament, only conceding one goal across all its matches. The team’s tournament started surprisingly poorly, however, with a 0-0 tie against Cape Verde, but since that game, Spain has had win after win. La Roja proved any doubts about their team after handedly defeating France in the semifinals 2-0.
This will be Spain’s second World Cup final appearance after its 2010 trophy-winning run.
One of Spain’s biggest strengths is its ability to keep possession by moving and passing the ball. This makes them able to control the pace of the game, making it difficult for other teams to win the ball back since they need to chase. Spain’s defense is equally strong, with a focus on closing down space and forcing turnovers.
La Roja has amazing attackers and midfielders to look out for, including captain Rodri, who connects the team. He can link Spain’s midfield and attack together, allowing Spain to attack while maintaining control over possession. Defensively, he won a majority of Spain’s turnovers to keep the team in possession.
Mikel Oyarzabal is an important attacker for Spain and has scored five of its goals in its journey to the finals. Most notably of their stars, Lamine Yamal is a 19-year-old winger, known for his passing, dribbling and speed on the pitch. He is the youngest player and goalscorer for Spain, and recorded four assists and one goal so far in his debut international tournament, Euro 2024, which Spain also won.
When asked in a postgame interview who he’d want to play in the finals, Yamal said, “Argentina.”
Both these teams have proved they deserve to be in the finals, with Argentina making amazing comebacks in important games and Spain putting on a show against France. This will be an exciting match filled with some of the best players in the world, and will be a game that you will not want to miss.
Kickoff is Sunday at noon on FOX.