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Could we have dreamed of a better World Cup final?
The top two teams in FIFA’s pre-tournament rankings will face off on July 19 at the New York New Jersey Stadium, with 39-year-old Lionel Messi taking on 19-year-old Lamine Yamal.
With so many storylines and tons of story to write, FOX Sports Research has broken down this historic matchup by the numbers.
Let’s take a look.
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1: For the first time, the World Cup final pits the reigning European champion against the reigning South American champion.
1: This is also the first time that the teams ranked No. 1 (Argentina) and No. 2 (Spain) in the FIFA world rankings have met in a World Cup final (since the rankings were introduced in 1992).
2: Only two players in this World Cup have completed more than 20 dribbles: Lionel Messi (25 years old) and Lamine Yamal (22 years old).
1966: The two have met once before at the World Cup, with Argentina winning 2-1 in the 1966 group stage.
14: These two teams have met 14 times before, with a shared record of 6-2-6 (WDL) all-time (all competitions); Spain have won four of the last six meetings between the two, with Argentina’s last victory coming in 2010.
Spain
0: Yamal is yet to register a goal or assist in the knockout stages of the World Cup; he is the third teenager to make seven World Cup appearances (Kylian MbappĂ©, Pau CubarsĂ).
1: Spain is seeking to become the first country to host the men’s and women’s World Cups simultaneously.
7: Spain is seeking to become the seventh nation to win multiple World Cups, having won its only previous finals appearance in 2010.
3: La Roja is seeking to become the third country to win the title in its first two World Cup appearances (Uruguay 1930 and 1950, Italy 1934 and 1938).
Lamine Yamal only scored one goal in this tournament, but constantly attracted the attention of opposing players. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images).
3: Mikel Oyarzabal is the third Spanish player to reach five career World Cup goals (David Villa 2010, Emilio Butragueño 1986); with one more goal, he will become the first Spanish player to score six goals at a single World Cup.
5: Spain are the fifth reigning European champions to reach the World Cup final and are seeking to be the third to win the title (Germany 1974, Spain 2010).
5: Spain has won five of the six finals it has played in major tournaments (World Cup, Euros).
6: La Roja are the first team to keep six clean sheets at a single World Cup and have conceded one goal in seven games at this World Cup.
8: Dani Olmo has eight assists in major tournaments (World Cup, Euros), one less than Cesc FĂ bregas for the most Spanish players of all time.
14: Luis de la Fuente has managed more World Cup and European Championship matches without losing than any other coach with 14 (13 wins, one draw).
15: Spain is undefeated for 15 consecutive matches in major tournaments (13 wins, two draws); La Roja is also the first European team to win eight consecutive knockout matches at major tournaments (World Cup, Euros).
37: Spain are undefeated for a total of 37 consecutive matches (28 wins, nine draws), equaling the longest known streak of any nation (Italy 2018-21).
63: Rodri made 63 assists in the final third, the most in a single edition since Xabi Alonso in 2010 (76).
Rodri, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2024, was one of the best passers of this World Cup. (Photo by Shaun Clark/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images).
Argentina
1: Argentina is seeking to become the first team to win four consecutive titles in major tournaments (won the 2021 Copa América, 2022 World Cup and 2024 Copa América).
1: Argentina is seeking to become the first nation to win every World Cup match and lift the trophy since Brazil won seven in a row in 2002.
2: Lionel Scaloni could become the second coach to win a consecutive men’s World Cup, joining Italian Vittorio Pozzo (1934, 1938).
2: Messi is set to become the second man to play in three World Cup finals (2014, 2022, 2026), joining Cafu (Brazil – 1994, 1998, 2002).
3: Argentina has won three of its previous six World Cup finals, winning in 1978, 1986 and 2022 (and losing in 1930, 1990 and 2014).
4: The Albiceleste are looking to become the fourth nation to win four World Cups (Brazil – five, Germany – four, Italy – four).
Lionel Messi scored eight goals and provided eight assists at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Photo by Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images).
5: Argentina has scored five goals outside the box in the 2026 World Cup (Messi twice, Giovani Lo Celso, Julián Alvarez, Enzo Fernández), tied for the most ever (since 1966) by any team in a single edition of the tournament.
5: Julián Alvarez has scored five career World Cup goals, including four in the round of 16, tied with Diego Maradona for second most by an Argentine player behind only Messi (seven).
6: Argentina is the sixth reigning champion to reach the World Cup final and is seeking to become the third repeat winner (Brazil in 1958 and 1962, Italy in 1934 and 1938).
6: If Messi scores, he will become the sixth man to score in two World Cup finals (Vavá – 1958, 1962, Pelé – 1958, 1970, Paul Breitner – 1974, 1982, Zinedine Zidane – 1998, 2006, Kylian Mbappé – 2018, 2022).
7: The Albiceleste are appearing in their seventh World Cup final, tied with Brazil for second all-time (Germany has eight).
8: Argentina has scored eight goals after the 85th minute (including extra time) in this World Cup, a record for a national team in a single edition in the history of the tournament.
13: Argentina has multiple goals in 13 consecutive World Cup matches, the longest streak in tournament history, and is undefeated in 19 consecutive major tournament matches (16 wins, three shootout victories).
Julián Alvarez scored the winner in Argentina’s quarter-final victory over Switzerland. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images).
13: Alexis Mac Allister has gone more World Cup matches unbeaten than anyone else in the history of the competition (13).
14: The Albiceleste have won a team-record 14 consecutive matches, are undefeated in a team-record 13 consecutive World Cup matches (11 wins), and have won seven consecutive World Cup matches for the first time.
19: Argentina has a tournament-high 19 goals; 12 of those goals came after the 75th minute, the most scored by a team at a single World Cup.
33: Messi has 33 goal contributions (goals and assists) in his World Cup career, more than any player on record (since 1966); his 21 goals are the most by any player in World Cup history and his 12 assists are the most since the first time in 1966.
