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Spain and Argentina entered the 2026 FIFA World Cup as favorites to win the tournament; Now, the two teams will meet in the final on Sunday at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
Spain secured their place in the final after a 2-0 victory over France at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday. Argentina clinched their place with a 2-1 victory over England at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday.
For the first time in their careers, Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi will face each other on the international stage in a full circle in football history.
After winning a charity raffle organized by Sports Journal and UNICEF, Lamine Yamal’s family won a place in a promotional photo shoot with young Lionel Messi. The photo went viral after Yamal’s father shared it after Euro 2024. Nearly 20 years after that photoshoot, the baby in the photo and the legend himself are destined to face off on the international stage.
Here’s everything you need to know about Spain vs Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
Spain’s path to the final
After a scoreless draw against Cape Verde to open the group stage, Spain won six straight and neutralized each of their opponents in the round of 16.
Spain beat Austria 3-0 in the round of 16, followed by a 1-0 victory over Portugal in the round of 16 to send Cristiano Ronaldo and Co packing.
Spain eventually conceded, but Mikel Marino scored his second winning goal in as many matches in a 2-1 win over Belgium in the quarter-finals. The quarter-final victory over Belgium also saw Spain’s only goal conceded during the tournament.
On Tuesday against France in the semi-final, Spain were clearly the dominant team and took a 2-0 victory against the Blues. For La Roja, it’s the World Cup final.
Argentina maintained a perfect record heading into the final, but it was far from easy for the reigning world champions.
Argentina began the tournament in Group J with defeats against Algeria and Austria, capped by a 3-1 victory over Jordan. Argentina then narrowly qualified for the round of 16 with a 3–2 victory over Cape Verde in overtime in the round of 16, a 3–2 victory over Egypt in the round of 16, also in overtime, and a 3–1 victory over Switzerland in overtime in the quarterfinals.
Argentina earned its place in the final by beating England, 2-1, in the semifinals on Wednesday.
Key players
Lamine Yamal may not seem like one of the key players to watch in his debut World Cup campaign. But don’t count out the No. 1 player on FOX Sports’ Top 100 Players at the World Cup.
After scoring a goal in Spain’s 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the group stage, Yamal failed to score in subsequent matches, in contrast to his form at Euro 2024 and the 2025 UEFA Nations League.
However, Yamal has shown signs of progression since returning from a hamstring injury suffered before the tournament and is still an important part of Spain’s offense. “Every time he gets the ball, there’s this real fear in the French team,” Landon Donovan said after Spain’s 2-0 victory over France in the semifinals.
If Yamal can continue to strike fear into the defenders in the final, Spain will have a strong opportunity to lift the trophy on Sunday.
Lionel Messi
Forward · Argentina
Lionel Messi continued to break records in his sixth World Cup appearance. Messi leads the tournament with eight goals, bringing his career tally to 21, making him the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. Messi also had two assists against England, adding to his record 12 assists.
Argentina proved they can bend but not break, scoring late goals to secure their advancement throughout the round of 16, and with Messi leading the way, you can never count out the reigning champions.
How to watch Spain vs Argentina
When: Sunday, July 19, 3 p.m. ET
Where: New York New Jersey Stadium
Television: FOX
Flow: Watch three days free on FOX One
