Spain and Argentina will go head-to-head in the 2026 World Cup Final. The stage is set at New York New Jersey Stadium, where both Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi will be aiming to deliver another title for their respective nations.
Slavko Vinčić of Slovenia will be the man in charge of officiating a match that is expected to draw a massive crowd. Both managers are leaving nothing to chance, with several tactical changes ahead of this highly anticipated final.
With the atmosphere befitting a World Cup Final, anticipation continues to build as kickoff draws near. Lamine Yamal on one side, Lionel Messi on the other. Who will ultimately be crowned champion?
The predicted lineup for La Roja
Spain will be aiming to win the World Cup for just the second time in their history, but to do so, they must overcome none other than the reigning champions. Luis de la Fuente will stick with the core group of players he has relied on throughout the tournament, naming a starting XI very similar to the one used in most of Spain’s matches.
Luis De La Fuente, Head Coach of Spain, looks on before the FIFA World Cup 2026 match.
Unai Simon; Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri (C), Fabian Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena; Mikel Oyarzabal.
Argentina’s predicted lineup
Argentina are coming off another dramatic comeback victory, this time against England in the semifinals, securing a historic place in the World Cup Final. With the official lineup already confirmed, Lionel Scaloni will make a few adjustments to his tactical setup as Argentina look to defend their world title.
Emiliano Martinez; Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico; Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Nicolas Gonzalez, Enzo Fernandez; Lionel Messi (C), Julian Alvarez.
Yamal and Messi, face to face
Lamine Yamal vs. Lionel Messi, one of the biggest individual battles of this epic clash in New York. The Argentine No. 10 wants to continue his pursuit of the Golden Boot, currently sitting two goals behind Kylian Mbappe, while Yamal aims to become the new leader of La Roja as this team looks toward the future.
