After a month of electrifying football and a whirlwind of emotions, the 2026 FIFA World Cup culminates on Sunday with a mouthwatering final between Spain and Argentina in New Jersey.
The 104th game of the World Cup sees defending champions Argentina battle it out against 2010 winners Spain, for a chance at glory. This promises to be one of the most explosive finals at the global showpiece.
Spain booked their place in Sunday’s final after a hard-fought 2-0 victory against two-time winners France, who were seeking a third consecutive finals appearance. Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro were responsible for the goals.
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Luis de la Fuente’s side are keeping up their spectacular defensive show in the tournament, only conceding two goals in the seven matches played in this summers’ edition.
They will face a resilient Argentina side who came from behind once again to edge England 2-1 in their semifinal match in Atlanta on Wednesday. The victory stretched their winning run to an impressive 14 games.
Anthony Gordon had put the Three Lions ahead early in the second half and they held on until things began to crumble with 10 minutes left to play.
Enzo Fernandez scored his second goal in as many matches with five minutes left, before substitute Lautaro Martinez scored the winner with a majestic header in stoppage time.
Both goals were assisted by joint-top scorer Lionel Messi, who has scored a remarkable eight goals in the tournament – tied with France’s Kylian Mbappe. The 39-year-old has the most assists ever at the World Cup with 12.
Betway
Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina are the top scorers in the 2026 World Cup – scoring a record 19 goals in seven matches. However, they come up against the best defense in the tournament.
The South Americans are seeking back-to-back titles to make modern day history by becoming the first nation to defend the World Cup since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
Spain have only won one World Cup title in their history – beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the 2010 final in South Africa. Can they get their second title here, or will Argentina make it consecutive World titles?
Here is our detailed preview of Sunday’s final as well as our predicted outcome of the match.
What time does Spain vs Argentina start?
The match kicks off at 10PM E.A.T at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Spain vs Argentina team news
After their sensational run, La Roja are not expected to make any changes to their starting XI with no injury concerns to report.
Unai Simon is on course to win the Golden Glove award after keeping six clean sheets and will start in goal. His central defensive pairing of Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte are also fit and will start here.
Marc Cucurella and Porro, who scored in the semifinal victory against France, will also retain their places on the flanks – with the duo of Rodri and Fabian Ruiz cementing the midfield.
Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal turned 19 a few days ago and will continue his quest to inspire his nation to a World Cup title, as well as his Barcelona teammate Dani Olmo. Top scorer Mikel Oyarzabal will lead the attacking line.
After scoring off the bench, Lautaro Martinez is pushing for a start here, with Giuliano Simeone likely to be the one sacrificed from the starting lineup.
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Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez has scored in back-to-back knockout matches, and he will start in midfield alongside Liverpool’s Alexis MacAllister, with Julian Alvarez on the left flank.
No changes are expected from the defensive shape with Aston Villa Emiliano Martinez in goal despite managing just two clean sheets throughout the competition.
Spain vs Argentina head-to-head and current form
La Roja have won six straight games coming into Sunday’s final, scoring 13 goals and conceding just once in a 2-1 victory against Belgium.
Meanwhile, Argentina are on a 14-match winning streak and have not tasted defeat since a 1-0 loss to Ecuador in September 2025.
The last time these sides met was in 2018 and Spain ran riot in a 6-1 demolition inspired by an Isco hat-trick. Spain have won three of the last five matches played between these two nations – none has ever resulted in a stalemate.
Current form:
Spain – WWWWW
Argentina – WWWWW
Betway
Spain vs Argentina previous games
- Spain 6-1 Argentina (March 27, 2018)
- Argentina 4-1 Spain (September 7, 2010)
- Spain 2-1 Argentina (November 14, 2009)
- Spain 2-1 Argentina (October 11, 2006)
- Spain 0-2 Argentina (November 17, 1999)
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Spain vs Argentina prediction
With this being a final, we can expect a cagey beginning as both teams size each other up – but they have both shown their ability to sustain pressure until the opportune moment to strike. An early goal here could set the tempo for the rest of the match.
Spain have been resolute defensively and are expected to maintain that here. The South Americans need to change their approach of waiting until the last minutes of the match to launch a barrage of attacks, because Spain will be their biggest threat yet.
Prediction – Spain to win or draw
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