EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford is set to host the 2026 World Cup final, a mouthwatering Argentina vs. Spain clash that pits the world's best player against the planet's strongest team.
Lionel Messi, making his last appearance for La Albiceleste, is seeking a second consecutive world title after the one won in Qatar 2022. Argentina has the chance to become the first nation to win back-to-back World Cups since Pelé's Brazil achieved the feat in 1958 and 1962. On the other side, Spain – led by tournament revelation Lamine Yamal – arrives on a 37-match unbeaten run dating back to early 2024 (28 wins, 9 draws) and aims for the second World Cup title in its history after South Africa 2010.
"On Sunday, we will watch a great show," said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente. "Two great national teams – two superteams, in my opinion – very similar in some aspects in terms of attitude, footballers' talent. I think that it's going to be an amazing final."
Messi, the tournament's top scorer alongside Kylian Mbappé with 8 goals, knows Spain well: he spent most of his club career there with Barcelona and could have played for the Spanish national team, but he never wavered in his loyalty to Argentina. Sunday will be the first time he faces La Roja in an official match since a friendly in 2010.
Making the matchup even more special is the connection between Messi and Yamal: the two were photographed together nearly two decades ago when Yamal was a baby, and they will now face each other in a World Cup final. "We grew up playing soccer with passion, eager to play," Messi said. "We played everywhere. We played on the street. We played at school. We played with teams. We didn't think about the pressure. It was just natural play."
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni had no doubts: "The best footballer that the world has seen." Win or lose, this match likely marks the end of the Messi era in blue and white – a remarkable cycle that brought Argentina the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 World Cup, and the 2024 Copa América.
The final, scheduled for Sunday July 19 at 8:00 PM local time (00:00 UTC July 20), will be played on the artificial turf of MetLife Stadium amid controversies in recent weeks, but anticipation is sky-high with an estimated 2 billion viewers worldwide.
Sources
- AP News — The World Cup final awaits, with Messi and defending champion Argentina set to face Spain: https://apnews.com/article/messi-spain-argentina-world-cup-final-bd35b9beccfc120ec0a78fd72162f33c
- AP News — Spain vs. Argentina World Cup final a very high-priced ticket to watch Messi and Yamal: https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-tickets-argentina-spain-dee9ab213948b47949b4fe9a9dde246f
