Two days before the final victory, the 23rd FIFA World Cup is drawing to a close. After an unprecedented tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and contested for the first time by 48 teams, the final match-up is now known: Argentina, the reigning champions, will face Spain, the current European champions, on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium, in the New York suburbs.
Albiceleste Aims for a Double
For Albiceleste, this qualification represents a new opportunity to confirm their status as the world's best team after their 2022 triumph in Qatar. This time, they will have to face a strong Spanish side led by a generation considered one of the most talented in continental football over the past decade.
The match will also be an opportunity for Lionel Messi to conclude what could be his final World Cup with a new record: the Argentine forward has become, over the course of this tournament, the all-time leading scorer and assist provider in the competition's history, with a combined 21 goals and 12 assists throughout his World Cup career, including 8 goals and 4 assists in this edition alone.
Les Bleus Want to Salvage Bronze
Before this highly anticipated final, it will be France's turn to take center stage on Saturday, July 18, for the third-place match against England. Eliminated in the semi-finals, Didier Deschamps' Les Bleus want to avoid ending this World Cup in complete disappointment. 'We will do everything we can to secure third place,' assured the coach before the match.
A victory would allow Les Bleus to remind everyone, forty years after finishing third in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, that France remains one of international football's most consistent nations, even in defeat.
A Tournament of Unprecedented Scale
This 2026 World Cup will also be remembered for its unprecedented scale: 48 teams, 104 matches spread across the three host countries—78 games in the United States, 13 in Mexico, and 13 in Canada—and the introduction of an additional round, the Round of 32, made necessary by the tournament's expansion. All nations that had previously been crowned world champions were present, with the exception of Italy, absent for the third consecutive time, while Brazil maintains its record of uninterrupted participation in all finals.
Editorial Opinion
This 48-team World Cup, often criticized beforehand for its perceived diluted format, ultimately lived up to its promises on a sporting level, crowning two of the most successful nations of the past decade. The Argentina-Spain final has the merit of logical progression: two fully developed playing cycles, two different generations clashing for the most coveted prize in world football.
