Spain and Argentina Set Up a Dream World Cup Final

The 2026 World Cup has its final, and it arrived by way of two very different kinds of heartbreak. Spain and Argentina both booked their tickets to New Jersey this week, each by knocking out a tournament favorite, leaving France and England to fight over third place in Miami on Saturday. On paper, this was the strongest final four the sport had ever produced, with the top four-ranked teams on the planet all reaching the semifinals for the first time ever, and only two of them are still standing.

The championship match this Sunday at MetLife Stadium sets Spain against Argentina, and the two roads that got them there could not have looked more different. One team strolled into the final without breaking a sweat, and the other needed yet another miracle in the dying seconds.

Spain cruised past France without breaking a sweat

The first semifinal in Arlington was billed as the final before the final, a collision between the tournament’s best attack and its best defense. Surprisingly, the matchup turned into a one-sided masterclass. Spain beat France 2-0 and never really looked troubled, smothering the French midfield and choking off the service that Kylian Mbappe needed to do damage.

Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after Lamine Yamal was fouled, and Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 58th minute with a beautifully worked goal. Mbappe, who came into the game leading the race for the Golden Boot, found almost no room to operate and never produced the moment France needed. La Roja has now conceded only one goal across the entire tournament, and the defeat ended France’s bid for a third straight World Cup final.

Argentina needed another late escape

The second semifinal in Atlanta could not have been more different in feel. It was a tense, foul-heavy grind between two old rivals, and for most of it England looked the more likely winner. Anthony Gordon put England ahead in the 55th minute, tapping home a cross from Morgan Rogers, and manager Thomas Tuchel promptly sent on defenders and dropped his team into a low block to protect the lead.

That decision invited disaster. Argentina laid siege to the English goal, and after goalkeeper Jordan Pickford kept his team ahead with a string of saves, the roof finally caved in. Enzo Fernandez blasted home from 20 yards in the 85th minute, and then Lautaro Martinez headed home the winner in stoppage time for a 2-1 Argentina victory. Both goals started with Lionel Messi, who assisted each one on a night he faced England for the very first time in his career.

For England, it was the same nightmare in a new costume. The 1966 champions threw away a lead in the final minutes and extended their 60-year wait to even reach another final. For Argentina, it was a fourth straight knockout game decided by the finest of margins, and Messi now has a goal or assist in 11 consecutive World Cup matches.

Messi and Yamal will decide the trophy

So Sunday delivers a matchup for the ages. Argentina is chasing history, trying to become the first nation to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1962, and Spain is hunting its first title since 2010. The subplot writes itself, with 39-year-old Messi in what is almost certainly his final World Cup match squaring off against 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, the teenager many believe will inherit his throne.

It is a genuine clash of styles, the immovable Spanish defense against the competitive will of an Argentina side that refuses to lose. There is even a little history between them, as Yamal caused a stir before the semifinals with comments many read as a warning shot, though he later said they were misinterpreted. Whatever happens in New Jersey, this tournament chewed up the giants and spat two survivors into the final, and neither one will hand the trophy over without an intense fight.