New Delhi: Spain will face Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday night, July 19. The clash
between the two sides will be the first World Cup final between the reigning champions of Europe and South America. This will also be the first time the top two teams in the FIFA rankings will contest the final since rankings were introduced in 1992.
Lionel Messi and co. will be looking to become only the third side in history to successfully defend their FIFA World Cup title, following Brazil (1958 and 1962) and Italy (1934 and 1938). Argentina are heading into the final after an exhilarating knockout stage, where they won each of their four games late.
They secured extra-time victories over Cape Verde in the Round of 32 and Switzerland in the quarterfinals. Argentina then came from 0-2 down to beat Egypt 3-2 before recovering from a 0-1 deficit to knock out England with a dramatic 2-1 victory.
Argentina became just the second team ever after Croatia (2018) to qualify through multiple rounds to reach the World Cup final despite not leading in the 90th minute in any of their knockout-round matches.
Spain have delivered effective performances and looked in complete control in the knockout stages, advancing to their second-ever World Cup final. They thrashed Austria 3-0 before producing narrow 1-0 victories over Portugal and Belgium. The Lamine Yamal-starrer side then got past France with ease in the semifinal.
They dominated the game from the first minute to the 90th, and never allowed a desperate France to mount a comeback. The World Cup final will be a clash of two different styles and footballing philosophies.
Spain vs Argentina head-to-head record
History slightly favours Spain leading into Sunday’s final, although the two countries have never faced each other in a FIFA World Cup. Their last meeting came in an international friendly on March 27, 2018, when Spain hammered Argentina 6-1.
Total Matches: 14
Spain won: 6
Argentina won: 6
Draws: 2
