Lionel Messi scripted history on Sunday (July 19) by becoming the first player ever to captain his nation in three FIFA World Cup finals. Argentina’s FIFA World Cup 2026 final against Spain at the New York New Jersey Stadium marks Messi’s third appearance in the tournament’s showpiece event, and he has led La Albiceleste in all three finals.
Spain vs Argentina FIFA World Cup 2026 Final
Before Messi, five players had captained their national teams in two FIFA World Cup finals, but none had achieved the feat of leading their country in three World Cup finals.
Players to captain their team to back-to-back FIFA World Cup finals
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | FINAL 1 (EDITION) | RESULT | FINAL 2 (EDITION) | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Italy (1982) | Loss (1-3) | Argentina (1986) | Loss (2-3) |
| Diego Maradona | Argentina | West Germany (1986) | Win (3-2) | West Germany (1990) | Loss (0-1) |
| Dunga | Brazil | Italy (1994) | Win (2-3 in penalties) | France (1998) | Loss (0-3) |
| Hugo Lloris | France | Croatia (2018) | Win (4-2) | Argentina (2022) | Loss (2-4 in penalties) |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | France (2022) | Win (4-2 in penalties) | Spain (2026) | – |
Messi first captained Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final against Germany at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro
on July 13, 2014. However, Argentina suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat after extra time.
Eight years later, Messi guided Argentina to glory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final against France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022. The Argentine superstar scored twice in the thrilling summit clash before Argentina prevailed in the penalty shootout to lift their third World Cup title.
Now, Messi has another chance to create history. No player has ever captained a team to back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles, and the 39-year-old will aim to become the first to achieve the unprecedented feat.
Messi, who is also the most-capped player in FIFA World Cup history, is only the second footballer to feature in three World Cup finals. Before him, only former Brazil captain Cafu had reached three finals, representing the Seleção in 1994, 1998 and 2002.
Cafu came on as a first-half substitute in the 1994 final against Italy before captaining Brazil to victory over Germany in the 2002 FIFA World Cup final.
Messi also has several individual milestones within touching distance. The Argentine captain has scored eight goals in the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far. If he scores against Spain in the final, he will become only the sixth player in history to score in multiple FIFA World Cup finals.
A brace in the final would see Messi equal Kylian Mbappe’s record for the most goals scored in FIFA World Cup finals.
As of now Messi has two goals to his name in FIFA World Cup finals. He scored a brace for Argentina in the final of 2022 FIFA World Cup against France at Lusail Stadium.
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