The FIFA World Cup 2026 also comes to an end as only two teams remain in the competition, who will battle for the most prestigious trophy in international football on 19th July. This final will mark the end of Lionel Messi’s illustrious World Cup career, which elevates the significance of the tie. It is also the first time in history that the reigning South American champions will face the reigning European champions in a World Cup final.
HOW ARGENTINA MADE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 FINAL?
Argentina was placed in Group K alongside Jordan, Algeria, and Austria, which they comfortably topped after securing nine points. In the Round of 32, they faced one of the tournament favourites, Cabo Verde, whom they beat 3–2 after a very tight game. They later faced Mohamed Salah’s Egypt, whom they managed to beat after a remarkable comeback, having been 2–0 down until the 78th minute.
They then got past Switzerland thanks to late goals from Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez and finally booked their place in the final after defeating England following another impressive comeback from a goal down.
HOW SPAIN MADE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 FINAL?
Spain had a disappointing start to their campaign as they were held to a goalless draw by Cabo Verde, but they soon got back into rhythm after defeating Saudi Arabia as their star player Lamine Yamal returned to the starting line-up.
They later won their group after defeating Uruguay in a cagey affair. They started their knockout campaign by thrashing Austria and then ended Cristiano Ronaldo’s quest to win the World Cup after beating Portugal. They went on to defeat Belgium before overcoming tournament favourites France to book their place in the final.
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TACTICAL OVERVIEW
Argentina play vertical football and like to play a lot of passes into midfield, where their midfielders then try to make vertical passes into the box to unlock space and create more goal-scoring opportunities for their forwards. However, in their last few games, Lionel Scaloni has used Messi on the right flank to deliver crosses into the box. Scaloni has also used different tactical approaches depending on the situation, switching between a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-1-2. Most of the credit goes to their strong mentality, as they have shown great resilience throughout the tournament, helping them produce several remarkable comebacks.
Spain also play a similar style of football, preferring to dominate possession and control the tempo of the game, mainly through their midfield, where they create overloads and gain numerical superiority. Rodri plays a crucial role, with many of Spain’s attacks being initiated through him.
Luis de la Fuente’s side increases their attacking threat through their wide players, especially Lamine Yamal, who is one of the best dribblers in world football. Their full-backs, Marc Cucurella and Pedro Porro, also make dangerous overlapping runs into the final third. Defensively, Spain have been one of the tournament’s strongest sides, conceding only one goal and allowing just 0.3 xG per 90 minutes.
ARGENTINA’S PREDICTED LINE-UP
Emiliano Martínez
Cristian Romero
Lisandro Martínez
Nahuel Molina
Nicolás Tagliafico
Leandro Paredes
Enzo Fernández
Alexis Mac Allister
Giuliano Simeone
Julián Álvarez
Lionel Messi
Formation: 4-4-2
SPAIN’S PREDICTED LINE-UP
Unai Simón
Pau Cubarsí
Aymeric Laporte
Pedro Porro
Marc Cucurella
Rodri
Fabián Ruiz
Dani Olmo
Lamine Yamal
Álex Baena
Mikel Oyarzabal
Formation: 4-3-3
PREDICTION
Spain 2–0 Argentina
Both teams have undoubtedly been the best sides of the tournament and fully deserve their place in the final. One side has dominated through possession and tactical discipline, while the other has relied on resilience, tactical flexibility, and individual brilliance.
As these two football giants prepare to battle for the biggest trophy in international football, fans will be excited to see whether Messi can lift the World Cup once again in his final appearance at the tournament, or whether Lamine Yamal, the most exciting young talent in world football, will add the World Cup to his growing trophy cabinet.
As the World Cup Final is around the corner, this article includes the tactical overview, predicted lineups and prediction.
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