NEW JERSEY (United States) — Lionel Messi’s battle-hardened Argentina takes on silky Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday as the first 48-team tournament in history reaches a climax in New Jersey.
The South Americans are striving to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups, while Spain are eyeing a second title after their maiden victory in 2010.
Sunday’s showpiece is likely to be the final World Cup appearance for Messi, widely considered the greatest player of all time.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni urged fans to make the most of seeing the diminutive genius lead out his team at the MetLife Stadium at the age of 39.
“He has made history. He is a legend,” Scaloni said of the former Barcelona player, who helped Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
The three-time champions have shown an astonishing never-say-die attitude during the 2026 tournament.
They recovered from 2-0 down in the closing stages against Egypt in the last 16 and mounted another dramatic comeback in the final minutes of their semifinal against England.
Spain, on the other hand, has been almost flawless, conceding just a single goal in their seven matches so far and sweeping past France in the semifinals.
Spain captain Rodri said he was bracing for a “physical” battle and would aim to ignore any possible “provocations”.
“It will be a more physical one, and we must be prepared,” said the midfielder according to AFP.
“But I believe that if we are known for something in this national team, it is that we know how to play different games based on the moment.”
On Saturday, England beat France 6-4 in a high-scoring thriller to seal third place – their best finish since they won the tournament in 1966.
Kylian Mbappe became the competition’s all-time leading scorer with 22 goals – one ahead of Messi, who can reclaim the record on Sunday.
The France hotshot is on 10 goals for the 2026 tournament, two ahead of Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
“I would have preferred not to be the all-time top scorer and to be playing Sunday’s match,” said Mbappe.
