Argentina trains after storm delay, Spain's session cancelled on eve of World Cup final
Argentina's final training before the World Cup final was delayed by storms but completed, while Spain's session was cancelled entirely. The pre-match day also saw Lionel Scaloni praise Lamine Yamal and Luis de la Fuente face jeers at a fan event.
The day before the 2026 World Cup final brought contrasting fortunes for the two finalists. Argentina's last training session at the Red Bull Academy in New Jersey began an hour late because of heavy rain, strong wind and lightning. Under FIFA protocol, a lightning strike within 13 kilometres triggers a mandatory 30-minute halt, resetting with each new discharge. The Argentines waited out the required interval and completed their session, with Lionel Scaloni using the open-media quarter-hour to hand out markers to the starters from the semi-final against England, plus Giovani Lo Celso, Thiago Almada and Rodrigo De Paul, hinting at possible changes for the final.
Spain were less fortunate. Their session at Melanie Lane Training Ground, scheduled for 17:00 Spanish time, never started. After 45 minutes of waiting for the storm to clear, the decision was taken to cancel the outdoor work entirely. The squad moved indoors for an activation session in the gym, leaving the last tactical details unaddressed on the pitch.
At a press conference on Friday, Scaloni was asked how to stop Lamine Yamal. "What will we do with Yamal? We'll lock him in a room," he joked, drawing laughter from journalists. He then turned serious, calling the Barcelona winger "a true treasure of world football" and comparing the difficulty of marking him to that of facing Lionel Messi. Scaloni expects a tight contest between two possession-based sides and said both teams deserved their place in the final.
A separate fan event at the Javits Center in Manhattan produced an awkward moment. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, appearing alongside Rodri and hosted by Novak Djoković, was booed as he began to speak. Spanish media reported that the crowd was impatient for the arrival of Messi, Scaloni and Emiliano Martínez. De la Fuente responded: "From a young age I was taught respect towards all people. We should also learn that lesson. You must always show respect."
The final kicks off on Sunday 19 July at 21:00 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić in charge.
