Who: Spain vs Argentina
Content: 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals
Location: New York/New Jersey Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA
When: Sunday 3pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 15:00 GMT before the live text commentary stream.
Chaos and calm. Godfather vs. Heir. 1st place in the world vs 2nd place in the world.
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The storyline couldn’t be better.
As the sun illuminates the New York skyline, soccer’s biggest stage prepares for the perfect closing act: the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.
It’s a gift for soccer purists and a clash of philosophies, so to speak – Argentina, the reigning champions who have learned to embrace suffering, and Spain, the European champions who have taught the world a master class in control.
On the one hand, you have Lionel Messi, an unstoppable, almost unnatural force whose on-field movements are like the spells of a magic wand, and on the other, Lamine Yamal, a teenage prodigy whose on-field talent and subsequent flamboyant personality signal the emergence of a superstar in the making.
So when the confetti flies and the fireworks go off, will it be Argentina winning a historic second consecutive world title, or will Spain’s golden generation return to joy after a 16-year wait?
Here’s what you need to know about Earthquake Showdown.
How did Spain and Argentina reach the World Cup final?
Spain topped Group H with seven points after defeating Saudi Arabia and Uruguay and drawing with Cape Verde. They started the finals by defeating Austria 3-0 in the round of 32, and defeated Portugal 1-0 with a late goal in the Iberian soccer derby in the round of 16.
They won 2-1 against Belgium in the final stages, securing their place in the semi-finals, and overwhelmed France, the favorites for the championship, taming their attack and winning the semi-finals 2-0.
Argentina performed well in the first round, defeating Algeria, Austria and Jordan to take first place in Group J. In the round of 32, they beat Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time after being pushed to the limit, and then came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat Egypt 3-2 in a controversial last-16 match that sparked allegations of referee bias.
In the quarter-finals against Switzerland, they once again played the full 120 minutes, winning 3-1, and in the semi-finals they broke England’s hearts with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory in the closing stages.
Messi’s amazing last dance?
If the record set by Messi last month wasn’t enough, the diminutive 39-year-old forward will add another to that list. He is the oldest outfield player to play in a World Cup final.
It might be his last.
Leo (commonly known as Leo by Argentines) has not talked about his future, but after a glittering career that included winning the World Cup in 2022, it appears this year’s tournament will be his last, especially if he is to fulfill his rare dream of winning back-to-back World Cups.
Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni said of Messi, one of the greatest players to ever grace the world of soccer, “He made history. He is a legend.”
Ten years ago, a frustrated Messi stopped wearing his shoes after losing to Chile in the Copa America final, Argentina’s fourth defeat in a final. The story then revolved around the fact that despite all the success he achieved at club level, Messi was unable to achieve international glory.
But fast forward to 2026, and the Argentina captain is aiming to win his first Golden Boot by leading his team to back-to-back World Cup finals, a twist of fate that not even Messi could have imagined.
“I think it’s incredible to be able to reach the final in this way at this moment, at the age of 39,” Scaloni added. “That’s why I said we should enjoy having him, because look at what happened to Diego (Maradona) and how we missed him.
“We still have Leo and we should be grateful for that. He is a historical figure, a legend, and so are the players who gave us great years.”
La Albiceleste aim to become only the third team in the competition’s history to remain in the World Cup, after Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962), and the little magician from Rosario will take charge of Argentina’s squad on Sunday.
Silence Argentina by cleverly eliminating Spain
Unlike Argentina, where games rely heavily on Messi’s individual talent, Spain is a well-structured team.
La Roja loves to hold the ball and limit the opponent’s attacking potential.
Their organized and solid defense has kept them six clean sheets, already more than any other team in a single World Cup tournament, and they have conceded just one goal en route to the final.
On Sunday, Spain face Argentina, a team to beat, as captain Rodri puts it, but hunger will be stronger than fear.
“We have gone through a gradual growth process and have seen the team mature over the last few years,” Rodri said. “This team and this generation were trying to make a mark… and now we have reached the World Cup final.
“So while we are happy with the team’s journey, we are not stopping there. Our ambitions go even further.”
Spain, who have been bookmakers’ favorites since the beginning, have played like the team that knows best how to deal with pressure. They impressively defeated France in the semi-finals, holding off a brave Les Bleus attack and demonstrating their performance of the tournament.
Rodri said the performance was “one of the best” the current Spanish team had ever produced, but they needed to aim for new heights if they were to beat Argentina and claim their first world title since 2010.
“They’re the champions so I think they have to raise the bar and I’m really confident they can do that,” he added.
Spain vs Argentina predictions
The Opta supercomputer sees Spain as favorites to win the final, with a 45% chance of winning within 90 minutes. They predict a 26 percent chance that Argentina will win in regulation time and a 29 percent chance that the match will go to extra time or penalties.
Overall, Spain has a 59.56 percent chance of winning the 2026 World Cup and a 40.44 percent chance of Argentina retaining the title they won in Qatar four years ago.
Who is the referee for Spain vs Argentina?
Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia) Assistant referee 1: Tomas Kranjnik (Slovenia) Assistant referee 2: András Kovacic (Slovenia) Fourth referee: Adham Makhadme (Jordan) Reserve assistant referee: Mohammad Alkharaf (Jordan)
Spain vs Argentina: Kick-off time and where to watch
Spain: DAZN Mundial (9pm CET) Argentina: TyC Sports, TyC Play (4pm AGT) UK: BBC One, BBC iPlayer, STV, STV Player, ITV1, ITVX, Red Button 1 (8pm BST) US: Fox, Fox One, Peacock, Telemundo App and Network, Universo, Telexitos (3pm BST) Eastern Daylight Time)
To see the TV listings for your country, visit the FIFA TV listings schedule here.
Where will Spain vs Argentina be played?
The World Cup finals will be held at MetLife Stadium, home of two National Football League (NFL) teams, the New York Giants and New York Jets. For the FIFA World Cup, the venue was temporarily changed to New York/New Jersey Stadium.
Built in 2010, this huge multipurpose stadium can accommodate up to 82,500 spectators for soccer matches. The venue also hosted the final and both semi-finals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
What’s the weather forecast and air quality like in New Jersey?
AccuWeather is forecasting mostly sunny and dry weather for New Jersey on Sunday.
Smoke from the Canadian wildfires has blanketed much of the northeastern United States, triggering health alerts. On Thursday, New Jersey’s air quality was rated “unhealthy for sensitive groups” by several air quality measurement platforms.
However, the U.S. government’s official air quality monitoring site, airnow.gov, predicts Sunday’s air quality index (AQI) will be “moderate.”
Spain vs Argentina: Head-to-head
This will be the second time Spain and Argentina have faced off at the World Cup, with Argentina winning 2-1 in the group stage in 1966.
Number of matches: 16 Spain wins: 6 Argentina wins: 6 Draws: 2
Spain vs. Argentina: Past results (all friendlies)
Spain 6-1 Argentina (March 2018) Spain 1-4 Argentina (September 2010) Spain 2-1 Argentina (November 2009) Spain 2-1 Argentina (11 October 2006) Spain 0-2 Argentina (November 1999)
Spain vs Argentina: Team news
No injuries were reported at either camp.
Expected lineup of Spain national team
(4-2-3-1): Simon (goalkeeper). Polo, Kvarsi, Laporte, Cucurella. Rodri, Luis. Yamal, Olmo, Baena. oyarzabal
Argentina’s projected lineup
(4-1-3-2): Martinez (goalkeeper); Molina, Romero, Lisandro, Tagliafico. Paredes. De Paul, Fernandes, Mac Allister. messi, alvarez
