Argentina vs Spain, Messi vs Lamal, old vs new: The 2026 World Cup builds to its climax on Sunday
July 17 – Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Spain will be in the headlines in the World Cup finals that will be held on Sunday, accompanied by US President Donald Trump and the match that will be held at halftime.
After more than 100 matches and 46 teams falling by the wayside, the South American champions and defending champions will face the European champions – the first in a World Cup final – to decide who will be the greatest in the world game. Can Messi defy logic at the age of 39 and shape football history?
Argentina has the chance to become the first team since Brazil with the legendary Pele and Garrincha in 1962 to defend their World Cup title. But they will have to overcome the formidable Spain.
The European champions went under the radar after their disappointing performance against Cape Verde. However, Luis de la Fuente’s side rebuilt their momentum, scoring their first and only goal of the tournament so far in a 2-1 quarterfinal win over a resurgent Belgium.
In the last four, they beat France 2-0. They outplayed the French in midfield and showed some of Spain’s best qualities – technical and tactical finesse.
The Spaniards may lack the guidance provided by the injured Nico Williams, while Lamine Yamal is yet to fully explode in the tournament, but a victory will cement their reputation as a dominant footballing nation.
In contrast, Argentina’s road to New Jersey has been more difficult despite having less travel and better early draws. Their progress has been marked by brilliant returns and strong resilience.
The road to the finals was supposed to be straight but it wasn’t a slower team than four years ago but one that relied heavily on the same personnel. They almost disappointed Cape Verde and rode their luck against Egypt – a game that was very intense in the referee’s decisions.
Argentina also benefited from a stunning red card (second yellow) given to Switzerland’s Breel Embolo. The Swiss looked to be taking Argentina all the way to penalties.
Even against England, in the last four, Argentina trailed until the 85th minute before creating a spectacle to book their ticket to the World Cup finals for the second time in a row. Their voodoo certainly worked for England’s German coach in the last half hour.
Lionel Messi is the team’s lifeblood and talisman and will be looking to make more history on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
After navigating the change in game format from a two-half game to a four-quarter game, players will now have to face a long half-time break to enter the short-time show, recently introduced by FIFA in the finals to mimic the Super Bowl and appeal to the US audience. Justin Bieber, BTS, Shakira and Madonna will be in the headlines.
Meanwhile, the White House has confirmed that US President Donald Trump will attend the game. Last year, Trump watched the final of the Club World Cup before losing himself by overstaying his welcome as he presented the trophy, joined by Chelsea players in celebration.
The final is expected to be a sell-out. At the time of writing, a handful of first-class tickets for $10,990 were still being sold on FIFA’s official ticket site. The governing body’s resale platform had ticket prices as high as $2.3 million.
Contact the author of this story at [email protected]
