The Second Title for the "Matador" or the Fourth for the "Tango Dancers"?

After 38 days of competition featuring 103 matches, the curtain finally falls tomorrow (Sunday) on the extraordinary edition of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across stadiums in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, with 48 national teams participating. The tournament will conclude with a clash between Argentina, the defending champions, and Spain, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The highly anticipated final will serve as a duel between Spain’s organized defense and Argentina’s ruthless, overwhelming attack, marking the first World Cup final between two continental champions.

Spain is aiming to secure its second World Cup title, thereby completing its trophy haul with the European Championship it won in 2024. This is the same year Argentina, aspiring to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain the World Cup in consecutive editions and claim its fourth title, successfully defended its Copa América crown.

While young Spanish star Lamine Yamal dazzled crowds with his stunning dribbling skills, even if it resulted in only one goal and a penalty for his team, the defensive strategy of coach Luis de la Fuente stole the spotlight at the 2026 World Cup.

After keeping a clean sheet for 649 minutes before Charles De Ketelaere equalized for Belgium in the Round of 16—a goal that had no impact thanks to Mikel Merino’s brilliance in the final moments of a match that ended in a 2-1 victory for “La Roja”—Spain found the perfect solution to curb France’s ferocious attack, securing a deserved 2-0 win in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Argentina won the Copa América in 2021 and 2024, following its World Cup triumph in Qatar in 2022. Under coach Lionel Scaloni, the team could become the first in history to win four major titles in a row, making them strong contenders for inclusion among the greatest football teams of all time.

So far, the defending champions have failed to replicate Spain’s tight defensive style. They allowed Anthony Gordon to score a stunning opening goal for England in the semi-finals last Wednesday, before capitalizing on a sudden defensive collapse by England, managed by German coach Thomas Tuchel, to advance.

Argentina’s motto throughout the World Cup was “we will score more than you.” Scaloni’s side played five consecutive matches without keeping a clean sheet, but scored at least twice in each, accumulating the tournament’s highest goal tally with 19 goals.

Nevertheless, Argentina lost three of its four encounters with Spain in the current century, the most recent being a humiliating 6-1 defeat in a friendly in 2018. However, if Sunday’s match sees seven goals in another thrilling encounter, something tells us the final score will be much closer this time.

It took just 21 seconds to raise concerns for the Spanish on Thursday morning, when a video surfaced showing Lamine Yamal wearing a bandage on his left leg while the rest of the team participated in full training. However, there are no serious concerns about his participation in the final.

The same applies to Borja Mayoral, who complained of muscle fatigue after the France match and was also excused from Thursday’s training session, but only as a precautionary measure and not as an indicator of anything more serious.

As a result, De la Fuente is expected to have the luxury of selecting the same starting lineup for the championship match, which means Pedri could once again be left on the bench, while Fabian Ruiz and Rodri are set to continue their effective partnership.

For Argentina, Cristian Romero and Leandro Paredes have recovered from the cramps that affected them after the Round of 16 match against Switzerland, starting as key players in the victory over England, meaning the squad has a full complement of 26 players ready for the decisive match.

While Spain is expected to maintain its starting lineup without major changes, Scaloni faced significant challenges against England and is likely to make some changes on the flanks.

Rodrigo de Paul is certain to return to the starting lineup, as is Gonzalo Montiel, following Nahuel Molina’s struggles against Djed Spence and Anthony Gordon in the previous match.

However, Martinez, the match-winner, is expected to remain on the bench again, with Julian Alvarez joining Messi, who is chasing the Ballon d’Or and the Golden Boot, and who has not ruled out participating in the 2030 World Cup despite being 43 at that time.

Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed that Spain, their opponent in the World Cup final in North America tomorrow (Sunday), “concerns him” with its performance and reliance on possession. He praised the work of coach Luis de la Fuente, noting that the clash will be intense and enjoyable for fans. Scaloni praised captain Lionel Messi, describing him as “pure history” after reaching the final at age 39, emphasizing that his presence represents an exceptional value that must be appreciated, as was the case with the legend Diego Maradona. He added, “We must enjoy him because he is still with us and gives us wonderful years.” He clarified that Argentina is preparing for the final as for any other match to avoid psychological pressure, noting that recent successes have made the team more prominent and subject to study by opponents. He affirmed that reaching the final is an achievement in itself, saying, “We can win and hope to, but even if we don’t, the journey has been amazing and set an example for everyone.”

Although some circles described the Argentine national team as playing aggressively following their semi-final victory over England, De la Fuente praised his counterpart Lionel Scaloni and his players ahead of tomorrow’s (Sunday) match.

De la Fuente said at a press conference: “It will be a great match. We are facing two great teams with much in common. Each will try to impose their style to serve their interests, but both teams will present a match where creativity and talent will be the decisive factors.”

He added: “I have great admiration for the Argentine national team. They have made history recently, and they are led by a coach I consider a friend. Each side will rely on their footballing strengths, but in the end, it remains just a football match.”

De la Fuente downplayed concerns about the physical condition of his star Lamine Yamal and spoke about how to stop Lionel Messi, saying: “We will not assign a player to mark him individually, but we will be vigilant towards him.”