The 2026 World Cup final is officially set: on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, reigning champion Argentina will take on Spain. On one side, Lionel Messi chases a repeat of the 2022 triumph in Qatar; on the other, 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, Spain's teenage sensation. Two generations collide for the sport's biggest prize.
The final was determined by the semifinals: Spain beat France 2-0 on July 14, and Argentina edged England 2-1 on July 15. The Messi-vs-Yamal storyline has become the symbolic narrative of the tournament, fueled by a famous 2007 photo in which a young Messi bathed baby Yamal for a charity calendar. Nearly two decades later, the two meet on opposite sides with the world title at stake.
"He is one of the best players in the world right now, so I wish him the best. He's only 19 years old and he has all of his future ahead," Messi said of Yamal on Friday. "That picture, it was crazy. Him as a baby, and now we are facing each other. What a crazy picture."
