Football fans worldwide are eagerly anticipating the ultimate clash as Argentina and Spain gear up for an electrifying World Cup final.
Spain, the current European champions, marched into the final after delivering a stellar 2-0 victory against France. Their defensive strategy was nothing short of a masterpiece, effectively neutralizing some of the tournament’s most potent attacking forces, holding them to a mere three attempts on goal.
Though they topped their group, Spain’s journey hasn’t been without challenges. In their tournament opener, they were surprisingly held to a goalless draw by newcomers and underdogs, Cape Verde.
Since then, Spain’s performance has only intensified, allowing just a single goal during their impressive four-match knockout streak against Austria, Portugal, Belgium, and France, solidifying their spot in their second World Cup final.
Entering the final, Spain exhibits excellent form, blending individual brilliance with outstanding team unity, making them a formidable force on the world’s biggest stage.
Defending champions Argentina are on the brink of back-to-back titles after a 2-1 victory over England, coming from behind to score twice in the dying minutes.
They topped their group comfortably, but the knockout stage has been far more rocky.
They faced a determined Cape Verde in the Round of 32, who came back twice to equalise before Argentina found a winner deep in extra time.
In the Round of 16, Argentina trailed Egypt 2-0 in the 79th minute before staging one of the greatest World Cup comebacks. They scored three goals in 14 minutes, including a stoppage-time winner, to edge past the Pharaohs.
The match was steeped in controversy, with an Egyptian goal ruled out by VAR after a foul early in the build-up.
Argentina then defeated Switzerland 3-1 in the quarter-finals.
When the score was level, the momentum was with Switzerland before they were reduced to 10 men after Breel Embolo was sent off with a second yellow card for a dive.
The match went to extra time, but the Swiss defence eventually cracked. Julián Alvarez restored Argentina’s lead with a stunning strike, while Lautaro Martínez sealed the win late in the match.
Argentina come into the final with 39-year-old Lionel Messi in fine form, leading the Golden Boot race with eight goals and four assists.
Messi will go head-to-head with Spain’s teenage star Lamine Yamal, 19, but it will not be their first encounter.
Then 20 and a rising star at Barcelona, Messi bathed a baby Yamal during a 2007 charity photoshoot organised by the Catalan newspaper Diario Sport in conjunction with UNICEF.
The images were taken by freelance photographer Joan Monfort, who told the Associated Press in 2024 that Yamal’s family won a UNICEF-organised raffle to have their photo taken with a Barcelona player at Camp Nou.
Little did they know the pair would meet again nearly 20 years later — this time on football’s biggest stage.
Argentina won against France on penalties at the 2022 World Cup, after one of the tournament’s greatest-ever finals ended 3-3 in extra time.
Spain will be looking for their second title, having won their first in 2010 with an extra-time goal to secure a 1-0 win against the Netherlands.
The two sides have only met once before in competitive play, at the 1966 World Cup in their opening group fixture, which Argentina won 2-1.
They’ve played 13 friendlies, with Spain holding the advantage with six wins, five for Argentina, and two draws.
The most recent match was in Madrid in 2018, with Spain hammering Argentina 6-1.
The final will be held at New York New Jersey Stadium at 5am on Monday, which you can watch live and free on SBS or SBS On Demand.