Spain
World CupWhy this tip?
Argentina have shown defensive fragilities in many of their matches, something that La Roja must pounce on. I feel that Argentina have used up all their “Get Out Of Jail Cards” in the knockout stages while Spain have shown the consistency required to life the trophy. I am backing La Roja to come away with a hard fought 1-0 victory, courtesy of another defensive masterclass
Match Preview
Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026
Matchday: Final
Date: Sunday,19 July 2026
Kick-off time: 21:00 (SA Time)
Venue: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Match Details
Spain and Argentina meet in the final of sports’ greatest spectacle, the FIFA World Cup. Argentina is aiming to become just the third nation to secure back-to-back World Cups after the great Italian and Brazilian teams of the 1930s and 1950s respectively. Spain on the other hand is hoping to clinch just their second ever title after winning their first in 2010 in South Africa. The South Americans have arguably the greatest ever player in Lionel Messi who has again carried his nation on his shoulders once again while La Roja have one of the best young talents in the world in Lamine Yamal. The match is due to take place at the iconic MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford in New Jersey. South Africa viewers can catch the action on Sunday, 19 July at 21:00.
Why This Match Matters
Lionel Messi has put the GOAT debate to bed in this World Cup by leading the goal scorer charts and providing the two assists in the come from behind win over England in the semi-final. La Albiceleste will want nothing more than to bid farewell to their magician by winning back-to-back World Cup titles. The last twenty minutes against the Three Lions was some of the best attacking football seen in the tournament as they looked like scoring with every attack. The Spanish team have built their success on a rock like defence that incredibly only conceded a single goal in the tournament. La Roja have found the perfect balance between defence and attack with players like Yamal and Dani Olmo causing plenty of problems for the opposition defence. The contrast in playing styles has the makings of one of the most tactically brilliant finals in the modern era.
Spain vs Argentina Head-to-Head Stats
Previous Meetings
Spain and Argentina have met 14 times since 1966 with the record all square. Both teams have won six apiece with two draws. The only previous time that these sides met was in the World Cup was in the semi-final of the 1966 tournament which La Albiceleste won 2-1. The most recent meeting between the sides was in 2018 with La Roja smashing the South Americans 6-1.
Spain’s Recent Form
Spain’s last five matches: WWWWW
Recent results include:
14/07/2026 (World Cup): France 0-2 Spain
10/07/2026 (World Cup): Spain 2-1 Belgium
06/07/2026 (World Cup): Portugal 0-1 Spain
02/07/2026 (World Cup): Spain 3-0 Austria
27/06/2026 (World Cup): Uruguay 0-1 Spain
Recent form: Spain’s 2-0 victory over France in the semi-final equalled the record of 37 matches unbeaten which was previously held by Italy. La Roja have been miserly in defence, conceding just a single goal in the tournament while scoring 13 times. They did not have the best of starts as they were held to a goalless draw against Capo Verde in their opening match where they lacked any creativity in attack. They quickly found their form with a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia and have been flawless since then with six wins on the trot.
Argentina’s Recent Form
Argentina’s last five matches: WWWWW
Recent results include:
15/07/2026 (World Cup): England 1-2 Argentina
12/07/2026 (World Cup): Argentina 3-1 Switzerland (AET)
07/07/2026 (World Cup): Argentina 3-2 Egypt
04/07/2026 (World Cup): Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde (AET)
28/06/2026 (World Cup): Jordan 1-3 Argentina
Recent form: The early part of the tournament was all about Lionel Messi as the Little Magician claimed a hattrick in Argentina first group game against Algeria and then bagged a brace in the 2-0 win over Austria. La Albiceleste maintained their perfect record in the group stage with a 3-1 win over Jordan. All four of their knockout games went down to the wire. They escaped with a 3-2 win over Cape Verde in the Round of 32 before scoring three goals in the last 15 minutes against Egypt to seal a 3-2 win. In the quarter final they again needed extra time to see off the challenge of Switzerland. In the semi final, the magic of Messi was at the fore again as he provided two assists as La Albiceleste scored twice late in the game to beat England.
Team News
Spain Team News
Coach Luis de la Fuente will be tempted to start with the same Xl that did the job against France in the semi-final. All players came through the match with any injury concerns with Nico Williams providing an exciting cameo. The only decision would be whether Williams stays on the bench or comes in at the expense of Alex Baena which seems unlikely though.
Injuries: No injury concerns.
Suspensions: No suspensions
Key players to watch: The cornerstone of Spain’s success has been their brilliant balance between defence and attack. Lamine Yamal has been one of the stars of the tournament with his pace and guile providing a constant threat while Mikel Oyarzabal has been one of the surprise packages of the tournament with his crucial goals and calmness in the final third. Dani Olmo will be tasked with providing the creativity in the middle of the park while Rodri and Fabián Ruiz will need to snuff out the threat of Lionel Messi, Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister.Defensively, Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte face arguably their toughest challenge of the tournament as they attempt to contain Messi and Julián Álvarez. They will be ably assisted by their sweeper keeper Unai Simon who has been superb throughout the tournament.
Argentina Team News
The impact of the bench and the genius of Messi won Argentina their semi-final so it will be a surprise to see any changes to the starting Xl. Coach Scolari will be hoping that his team have a better start and don’t have to chase the game yet again as their luck could run out on the biggest stage of all.
Injuries: There are no injury concerns for Argentina
Suspensions: No suspensions.
Key players to watch: Lionel Messi remains Argentina’s biggest attacking threat and continues to lead his side with goals and assists. The captain will once again be the focal point in attack, while Julián Álvarez’s intelligent movement and relentless work rate make him a constant danger in the final third as he showed with a brilliant goal against Switzerland. He was a constant threat against England but was denied a goal by the brilliance of Jordan Paickford. Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández and Rodrigo De Paul will be tasked with controlling the midfield and limiting the influence of Dani Olmo At the back, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez face the difficult challenge of containing Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal, while Emiliano Martínez will be aiming to produce another match-winning performance between the posts.
Predicted Lineups
Spain Predicted XI
Unai Simón; Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri, Fabián Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Álex Baena; Mikel Oyarzabal.
Argentina Predicted XI
Emiliano Martínez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Tagliafico; Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández; Alexis Mac Allister, Lionel Messi, Julián Álvarez.
Best Betting Markets for Spain vs Argentina
Match Winner
Prediction: Spain @ (2.35) at Hollywoodbets
Over/Under Goals
Prediction: Under 2.5 Goals @(1.61) at WSB
Both Teams to Score
Prediction: Both Teams to Score-No @ (1.80) at Betway
Anytime Goalscorer
Prediction: Mikel Oyarzabal to score anytime @ (2.50) at Easybet
Spain vs Argentina Prediction
Best Bet
Prediction: Spain win and under 2.5 goals @(4.50) at Hollywoodbets
Correct Score Prediction
Prediction: Spain 1 – 0 Argentina @ (7.00 at Easybet)
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Match analysis and verdict
It is hard to argue that the two best teams have made it through to the final especially when nerves of steel were required in the knockout stages. Luis de la Fuente’s have defied the odds in the semi-final and kept the French scoreless with a tactical masterclass never seen before. Their progress to the final has bene more a team effort while La Albiceleste have relied more on the brilliance of Messi. The obvious formula for Spain to win will be to keep the Little Magician quite but that is easier said than done.
Argentina have shown defensive fragilities in many of their matches, something that La Roja must pounce on. I feel that Argentina have used up all their “Get Out Of Jail Cards” in the knockout stages while Spain have shown the consistency required to life the trophy. I am backing La Roja to come away with a hard fought 1-0 victory, courtesy of another defensive masterclass
Prediction: Spain 1 – 0 Argentina
Writer / Betting tipster
I am what you call a sporting all-rounder with my favourite sports being rugby, football and cricket. I have been actively writing rugby and football articles for the last decade. These include previews, reviews and interesting topical pieces. I am a huge fan of Liverpool and a passionate supporter of the Springboks. My interests in recent years have also included iGaming as this is one of the fastest growing betting markets. Follow me for the best rugby odds in South Africa as I continue to find you the best bookie to place your bets.
