The 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain has all the ingredients of an instant classic in soccer’s biggest tournament. Not only will Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal face off for the first—and perhaps lone—time in their careers, but several familiar faces will go head to head. Among them, Pedri and Alexis Mac Allister will battle at midfield once again.
Argentina and Spain’s head-to-head record at FIFA World Cups gives La Albiceleste the edge, as they’ve won the lone meeting between the two nations. Still, Spain and Argentina have faced each other several times across all competitions.
The last time Messi’s Argentina played Spain was in 2018. However, the two countries have met once since then—none other than at the 2020 Olympics, which were played in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Déjà vu from 2020 Olympics
Although the Olympics don’t allow countries to send their senior national teams, there were several youngsters on Spain’s and Argentina’s 2020 Olympic squads who are also part of the 2026 World Cup rosters. Many of them are now lynchpins for La Roja and La Albiceleste.
Zubimendi and Mac Allister at 2020 Olympics.
When Argentina and Spain met in the group stage of the 2020 Olympics, La Roja’s starting XI featured Unai Simon, Marc Cucurella, Eric Garcia, Martin Zubimendi, Pedri, Mikel Merino, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Dani Olmo. All of them are now crucial members of the squad that reached the 2026 World Cup final. Moreover, the mastermind behind the team was none other than Luis de la Fuente, who would later earn a promotion to the senior national team, and the rest is history.
Argentina’s starting XI included both Facundo Medina and Alexis Mac Allister, while Thiago Almada came off the bench with 20 minutes remaining. Julian Alvarez could’ve been part of the team, but his club didn’t release him to join the U-23 national team. In the end, Argentina and Spain played to a 1-1 draw, with goals from Mikel Merino and Tomas Belmonte.
What happened after 2020 Olympics game?
The result eliminated Argentina in the group stage, while Spain went on to reach the final, where they fell 2-1 to Brazil in extra time. Brazil’s squad featured the likes of Dani Alves (one of the three overage players allowed on the roster), Bruno Guimaraes, Douglas Luiz, Antony, Matheus Cunha, and Richarlison.
Five years later, Spain and Argentina meet again. This time, with Messi, Yamal—who was only 14 during the 2020 Olympics—and both nations’ crème de la crème squads. History often has a way of repeating itself, and there will be plenty of familiar faces when Argentina and Spain take the field once again, this time with soccer’s most coveted trophy on the line.
