The Spanish national team faces Argentina this Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. At stake is their second world title after 2010, against a champion led by a Messi who, at 39, seeks to reclaim the crown.
The Spanish men's football team is playing this Sunday (21:00, La 1) in the final of the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada against Argentina, the reigning world champion. The venue is MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which has a capacity of 82,500 spectators, and the prize is the second star for the Roja after the one won in South Africa in 2010.
The match features two teams that arrive unbeaten at the decisive clash. Argentina has won all its matches, while Spain only drew once in the group stage against Cape Verde. The team led by Luis de la Fuente boasts a streak of 38 official matches without losing, a statistic that underscores their solidity.
Generational clash: Lamine Yamal against Leo Messi
The final will be marked by the confrontation between two talents from FC Barcelona separated by two decades. Lamine Yamal, at 19, has become the tournament's great revelation and leads the Spanish attack. Opposing him will be Leo Messi, at 39, who is playing in his sixth World Cup and seeks his second consecutive title after Qatar 2022. The Argentine has scored eight goals in the tournament, although he has not netted in the last two matches.
Messi has already announced that this will be his last World Cup. He arrives after a season in MLS and with the memory of winning the Copa América 2024. For Spain, stopping the Argentine 10 will be crucial, and the responsibility will largely fall on Marc Cucurella, who will cover his usual area.
Tactical keys and probable line-ups
Spain will rely on its possession style, with Rodri Hernández as playmaker and captain. The starting eleven will be the same as in the quarter-finals and semi-finals: Simón; Porro, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Fabián; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; and Oyarzabal. Argentina, on the other hand, trusts in its defensive solidity and Messi's ability to appear at key moments. Scaloni might recover Rodrigo de Paul in midfield, and the forward position is contested between Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez.
Argentina has scored 19 goals in the tournament, the best attack, but has also conceded seven. Spain, in contrast, has only conceded one goal, from Charles de Ketelaere against Belgium. The final will be a clash of styles: Spanish control versus Argentine intensity and counterattack.
For fans, the match represents the opportunity to see two generations of stars live. Tickets sold out weeks ago, and a large presence of supporters from both teams is expected in New Jersey. The winner will take home a prize of 42 million dollars, according to FIFA.
The only previous World Cup encounter between the two dates back to 1966, with an Argentine victory of 2-1. In 2018, Spain thrashed Argentina 6-1 in a friendly at the Metropolitano, although Messi did not play then. This Sunday, history will be written anew.
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