Out of 48 participants, only two remain. Spain and Argentina will face off in the World Cup final next Sunday (19).

For the Europeans, it is a chance to win the second world title in their history. For the South Americans, the reigning champions, it would be their fourth.

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The match will be played at New York/New Jersey Stadium, starting at 4:00 p.m. (Brasília time).

Check out more details about the finalists below and leave your prediction for the match in the comments:

The titles

The only World Cup trophy won by Spain came in 2010, when they beat the Netherlands in the final.

For Argentina, the first title came in 1978, also against the Netherlands.

In 1986, they won the final against Germany. In the last World Cup, France finished as runners-up against the Argentinians.

The campaigns

Spain and Argentina could have faced each other as early as the round of 32 if either of them had finished second in the group stage.

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But both topped their groups and made their way to the final (one with more drama than the other).

Argentina comes into the match with two extra-time games in their legs, while Spain settled all of their knockout ties within 90 minutes. Will that make the difference?

Check out all of the finalists’ matches in this World Cup below:

🇪🇸 Spain

Spain 0 x 0 Cape Verde – group stage

Spain 4 x 0 Saudi Arabia – group stage

Spain 1 x 0 Uruguay – group stage

Spain 3 x 0 Austria – round of 32

Spain 1 x 0 Portugal – round of 16

Spain 2 x 1 Belgium – quarter-finals

Spain 2 x 0 France – semi-final

🇦🇷 Argentina

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Argentina 3 x 0 Algeria – group stage

Argentina 2 x 0 Austria – group stage

Argentina 3 x 1 Jordan – group stage

Argentina 3 x 2 Cape Verde (extra time) – round of 32

Argentina 3 x 2 Egypt – round of 16

Argentina 3 x 1 Switzerland (extra time) – quarter-finals

Argentina 2 x 1 England – semi-final

The stars

For Spain, the standout individual is someone who may not directly contribute with goals and assists, but influences the game like few others.

Rodri has been the maestro in midfield, the most dominant area of Luis de la Fuente’s team.

📸 MAURO PIMENTEL – AFP or licensors

That leading role stands out even more because of Lamine Yamal’s ups and downs, after he arrived at the tournament carrying an injury.

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For Argentina, the biggest star is obvious for everyone to see and could be no one else: Lionel Messi.

The No. 10 is the World Cup’s top scorer and already became the tournament’s all-time leading scorer in the group stage.

📸 Shaun Botterill – 2026 Getty Images

In the later rounds, however, forwards Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez scored decisive goals to send Argentina through.

The event

The World Cup final goes beyond the on-field clash between Spaniards and Argentinians.

The pre-match show will feature Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams and influencer IShowSpeed, as well as a special appearance by Tom Cruise.

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FIFA has prepared more performances for halftime, which is expected to last nearly 30 minutes.

The show itself is scheduled to last 11 minutes and will feature Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and BTS as the main attractions.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence.