The 2026 Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) World Cup 2026 ,comes to an end at New York/ New Jersey ,United States of America (USA), today.
After five weeks of classical 104 games ,the world wait with anxiety who would pick the coveted trophy or would the defending champions, Argentina repeat the 2022 feat.
Going to the final,Spain in Group H ,recorded six wins, one draw , conceded one goal, and scored 12 goals in seven matches while Argentina in Group J ,got all seven wins with 18 goals, the highest by any team in the tournament.
Spain and Argentina had met only once at a World Cup and this was during group stage in 1966.
It was Argentina who triumphed 2-1, played in Birmingham, England.
Since then, their encounters are mainly in friendlies , and in 1999, Argentina thrashed Spain 0-2 ,but in 2018, Spain beat Argentina 6-1 in Madrid with Isco Alarcon scoring hart-trick, Diego Costa ,Thiago Almada and Lago Aspas ,also scored in that match, which Lionel Messi missed the friendly , no thanks to injury .
In 2010, Argentina beat Spain the reigning champions 4-1 , in a friendly at Buenos Aires , Argentina,after winning the 2010 World Cup at South Africa, with goals scored by Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez and Kun Aguero.
Both countries played two friendly games in 2009, and Spain won both matches 2-1, respectively .
On the whole, Messi has faced Spain three times, winning one, suffered two losses and the last was in 2010.
Argentina has been winless against Spain in eight of the last 11 games.
The two countries supposed to have played CONMEBOL -UEFA Finanliss in 2024, but it was cancelled.
This makes the 2026 World Cup final between them exciting.
Argentina in some of the games played, would survive scare then winning at last moment, this seems to be their finness and biggest strength so far.
Messi is 39, and almost certainly his last World Cup.
So far ,he has eight goals , with four assists in the tournament,but the goals are not the whole story, he plays deeper, picking moments and when Argentina looked dead like against Egypt, Cape Verde, Switzerland,he brings the miracle .
Against England in the semi-final, when it was looking impossible and the opponent counting minutes to run away with victory, Messi reminded them that they are defending champions ,he again turned the decider.
The team is built around Messi ,once he gets the ball ,then let everyone else run;Alvarez presses, Lautaro Martinez makes the runs, Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez do the dirty work.
Messi just decides when to kill you.
The squad won 2022 World Cup, won Copa America 2021 and 2024, and they know what it feels like to win another trophy.
Spain would likely come into the match foreciously , not to contain Argentina but to control the game in the midfield, which they know best to do against opponents,mashaled by Rodri Cascante and Pedri Gonzalez .
Their biggest weapon would be Lamine Yamal on the right , Nico Williams on the left ,both are fast.
Spain has technical depth, but Argentina utilizes its moment to do damage, and Spain should watch out for this.
They beat France by not letting them play widely.
