Spain and Argentina set for World Cup final clash as Messi faces Yamal and La Roja's unbeaten run

The final pairing

Sunday's World Cup final in New Jersey pits defending champions Argentina against European champions Spain, a meeting that was originally scheduled for the Finalissima earlier this year before U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran forced its cancellation. Now the stakes are far higher. Argentina, all pulse and fire, are chasing a second straight title behind 39-year-old Lionel Messi. Spain, unbeaten in 37 matches and having conceded only once all tournament, arrive as the bookmakers' favourites with a style built on control and precision.

Argentina's rocky road

Argentina's campaign has been less a smooth title defence than a pilgrimage through suffering. Lionel Scaloni's side, with 17 of the 26-man squad from the 2022 triumph, reached the final the hard way: an extra-time win over Cape Verde, then nerve-shredding comeback victories against Egypt and England. The 2-1 semi-final win over England, watched by Xavi and Javier Mascherano together, left even Messi's former teammates struggling to process what they were seeing.

Spain's calm control

Spain have looked like a side that treats pressure as a meeting already scheduled. Under Luis de la Fuente, they have carried themselves with an almost eerie calm. The manager joked on Friday that his only nerves concerned the helicopter ride back to the team hotel. Rodri, the Ballon d'Or-winning captain, said Spain are "a very well-rounded team" who control their own penalty area, the opposition's and the midfield. He expects a physical battle but wants his side to ignore any provocations and impose their game.

Messi and Yamal: past and future

The final is threaded with Barcelona history. Messi, the academy's most dazzling export, faces Lamine Yamal, the 19-year-old forward who grew up idolising him in the Rocafonda neighbourhood of Mataro. A viral photograph of a baby Yamal with Messi has captured imaginations. Yamal's grandmother, Fatima Nasraoui, told Reuters she wants Spain to win and will shout loudly if he scores. Xavi, who handed Yamal his professional debut at Barcelona, said watching Messi at 39 is "amazing" and called him "the best in history".

What they said

Mascherano went further, saying Messi still appears to hold the remote control to football's grandest stage.

I think he is still showing that he is the owner of the game. He has the ball, and he makes the decisions sometimes that he is going to win the game and he can do that.

Scaloni, asked how his team maintains hunger after already winning the trophy, pointed to the fans. "You see your people, how they celebrate, how they are happy, that gets you, it's impossible for it not to touch your heart," he said. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez added that seeing supporters celebrate at 2am in the cold Argentine weather "means a lot".

De la Fuente, who once watched a youth-team Messi score four goals in 15 minutes after his marker was substituted, ruled out man-to-man marking this time. "We have to stay alert and pay special attention, certainly," he said. He also pushed back strongly against suggestions Argentina might resort to streetwise tactics, calling Scaloni a close friend and saying he has "nothing but admiration" for the South American champions.

The tactical battle

Rodri expects a match unlike any other Spain have faced, describing it as "more physical" and requiring adaptability. He warned that Argentina are far more than Messi, pointing to their competitive character and ability to come back from adverse situations. Spain will need to be themselves throughout, he said, while keeping a very close eye on the 39-year-old who, in Mascherano's words, remains "different, totally different". The final will also feature an extended half-time break to accommodate a star-studded show, a logistical twist both camps are prepared for.