World Cup Final: Messi's Argentina meet Yamal's Spain for the ultimate prize
The defending champions face the team many have called the tournament's best at MetLife Stadium on July 19, with Argentina chasing back-to-back titles and Spain chasing a second star, 16 years after their only previous triumph.
The World Cup final is set: Argentina against Spain at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, kicking off at 3:00 PM ET on July 19. It is the first World Cup final meeting between the two nations, and the first ever between a reigning World Cup champion and a reigning European champion. Argentina got here the hard way for the third time running, coming from behind against England in Atlanta; Spain got here by doing what they have done all tournament — suffocating opponents and taking their few chances.
Lionel Scaloni's Argentina have needed a comeback in three of their last four matches: down 2–0 to Egypt in the round of 16 before winning 3–2, forced into extra time by a 10-man Switzerland in the quarterfinal before Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez struck in the additional 30 minutes, and now trailing England before Enzo Fernández's 85th-minute leveler and Martínez's stoppage-time header — both teed up by Lionel Messi — completed the turnaround. Messi, still Argentina's talisman and captain at this stage of his career, has quietly built a tournament-leading assist tally without needing to be the headline scorer, with Álvarez, Martínez and Enzo Fernández sharing the goalscoring load. A win would make Argentina the first team to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, and would give Messi a second winner's medal as captain.
Spain, by contrast, have barely been troubled. Luis de la Fuente's side have conceded only three goals all tournament — two of them in the 2–1 quarterfinal win over Belgium that snapped a six-match shutout streak, the longest in World Cup history — and dispatched France 2–0 in the semifinal without Kylian Mbappé managing a shot on target. Lamine Yamal has been the tournament's breakout star, terrorizing defenses from the right wing, while Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro have provided the goals in the knockout rounds and Rodri has marshaled midfield alongside Fabián Ruiz. Unai Simón's back line, built around Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte, is the best defensive record left in the competition. A Spain win would be the country's second World Cup title, following their breakthrough triumph in 2010.
Both managers look set to stick close to what has worked. De la Fuente's Spain are expected in their now-familiar 4-3-3 — Simón behind a back four of Porro, Cubarsí, Laporte and Cucurella, Rodri screening Fabián Ruiz and Dani Olmo, with Yamal and Álex Baena either side of Oyarzabal. Scaloni is expected to freshen up Argentina's approach for the final with a switch to 4-3-3, pushing Messi into a front three alongside Julián Álvarez and Giuliano Simeone, with Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister across midfield. Slovenian official Slavko Vinčič — taking charge of his first World Cup final — has been appointed to referee, with compatriots Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič running the lines and Jordan's Adham Makhadmeh as fourth official. Opta's pre-match model makes Spain the favorites: a 45% chance of winning in regulation to Argentina's 26%, with the rest split across extra time and penalties, for an overall 59.6% title probability against Argentina's 40.4%.