Everything you need to know as Spain and Argentina clash in World Cup Final
As if on cue, ahead of Sunday’s World Cup Final, heavy thunderstorms and strong winds hit the New York City area Saturday, which would help wash and push away the unhealthy haze that had lingered over the region in recent days due to wildfire smoke from Canada.
Abundant sunshine and 81 degrees are forecast for 3 p.m. Sunday at Met Life Stadium, which would be welcome weather for the tantalizing match between European champion Spain and defending World Cup champion Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, the 39-year-old legend and Inter Miami captain, who is having a storybook tournament.
The average ticket price for the spectacle is $11,000 on the secondary market and a T.V. audience of 1.8 billion is expected. President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend and present the trophy. Among the performers in the pre-game and halftime ceremonies are Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira, Jennifer Hudson and Post Malone.
Tens of thousands of soccer fans in Spain and Argentina shirts descended on Manhattan over the weekend in anticipation of the showdown, with plans to gather in Times Square, Central Park, Hudson Yards, Rockefeller Center and other fan festivals and watch parties throughout the five boroughs.
A massive Argentine “Banderazo” pep rally was expected to fill Times Square late Saturday afternoon, despite the gloomy weather, a recurring scene during the entire tournament, no matter where the team was playing.
A capacity crowd showed up at Fanatics Fest NYC at the Javits Center on Friday night and got a rare glimpse of Messi being interviewed on stage by tennis great Novak Djokovic and NFL legend Tom Brady in a star-studded event that also featured comedian Kevin Hart, NBA star Kevin Durant, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, Spain captain Rodri and coach Luis de la Fuente.
Brady asked Messi about a 19-year-old photo that had been unearthed recently and went viral this week. In the photo, Messi, then 20, is posing for a UNICEF charity calendar with then-five-month-old Lamine Yamal, the Spain and Barcelona star, who is in a bathtub with a rubber duck.
Yamal’s family won a raffle to participate in the photoshoot, resulting in the iconic image.
“It’s crazy,” Messi said of the photo. “We took that photo and now we are playing against each other in the World Cup Final. Lamine is a huge talent, someone I’ve followed a lot because he plays for a club [Barcelona] I love. I always wish him the best. He’s one of the world’s best players at 19 years old and has a bright future.
“He has a great opportunity to achieve something historic, which we’ll try our hardest to make sure doesn’t happen. But Lamine is not the only great player Spain has.”
Spain is unbeaten in 37 straight matches and won both the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League and 2024 European Championship. Argentina is looking to win a fourth consecutive major trophy after winning back-to-back Copa América titles and the 2022 World Cup.
The two teams were scheduled to play in March in Qatar in La Finalissima, an exhibition match between the reigning Copa America and European champions, but it was canceled due to the war in Iran and the neighboring region.
So, it seems only fitting that they will finally meet on the world’s biggest stage.
Spain has allowed just one goal in seven games during this tournament. La Roja tied its opener 0-0 against Cape Verde and went undefeated after that.
Messi and his teammates had a bumpier ride. They needed extra time to survive Cape Verde in the Round of 32 and Switzerland in the quarterfinals, had to rally from a 2-0 second-half deficit against Egypt, and pulled off another late-game miracle to beat England 2-1 in the semifinals.
“Argentina’s team has a very competitive character, they overcome adversity,” Rodri said. “We are aware of that. We will try to focus on how we have been dominating the games so far, not get caught up in the emotions.”
Argentina is highly motivated to become the first team to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. Also, this is likely Messi’s final World Cup game, unless he returns at age 43, and he and his teammates want his finale to be a victorious one.
They will have to figure out how to overcome Spain’s ball control, cohesiveness, and short passes, which typically leave opponents out of breath and out of options as they chase the Spaniards around the field trying to regain control of the ball.
In the middle of it all is Rodri, one of the world’s best central midfielders, known for his field vision and motor. The Spanish captain has great admiration for Messi but warned that the rest of Argentina’s squad is also dangerous.
“I consider him the greatest player of all time; however, I believe Argentina is much more than just Messi,” Rodri said. “They have proven to be a very well-rounded team with top-tier players. Honestly, I think the two of us are currently the teams that play the best collective football.”
Scaloni and De la Fuente are longtime friends. They spoke about the mutual respect they have for each other and how their tactics and coaching styles are similar.
“I really do see two super teams with a lot of similarities in behavior and footballing talent,” De la Fuente said.
Asked what about Spain concerned him most, Scaloni smiled and replied: “If Spain leaves the hotel, I am already concerned. Once they are on the bus and leave the hotel, I am concerned.”
De la Fuente was asked if anything makes him nervous about his first World Cup Final.
“We came [to the press conference] by a helicopter, and we have to fly back once the press conference is over; that makes me very anxious. Otherwise, I am calm. We want to enjoy this amazing moment.”
This story was originally published July 18, 2026 at 3:28 PM.