The journey of Argentina in this World Cup has been somewhat simpler than Spain’s, but very hard-fought. The three-time World Champion started this competition with a comfortable victory against Algeria (3-0), which was later confirmed against Austria (2-0) and Jordan (1-3) to close the group stage. In the round of 16, Scaloni’s team had to win in extra time (2-3) against Cape Verde – one of the surprises of this championship – to advance to the quarterfinals, where they suffered again, and a lot, against Egypt (3-2).
In the quarterfinals, Switzerland once again put La Albiceleste on the ropes, forcing them to go to extra time again to finally win three goals to one. Finally, in the semifinal against England, goals from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro in the 92nd minute overturned the goal by Anthony Gordon.
The Spanish national team’s locker room is already prepared to receive the players.
As a preliminary step to the celebration of this historic match and as the grand finale to the organization, at 7:30 PM the Closing Ceremony of this World Cup will begin. Stars from music and entertainment such as Robbie Williams, Tom Cruise, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, and IShowSpeed will be present. Additionally, Jennifer Hudson, winner of Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar awards, will perform the American anthem.
Americans never mess around when it comes to security measures at a major sporting event. But if you add the presence of President Donald Trump and FIFA’s disorganization, the cocktail is dramatic. The recommendations for the final were to arrive at least four hours before the start of the match. For many journalists, that has proven too short, very short.
At 11:35 local time, three and a half hours before kickoff, special correspondents who had been queuing for two and a half hours were still far from the scanners. The organization has limited access for journalists, and also thousands of organization members, through a single point, a single gate that has become a bottleneck. With hardly any signage, confusing signs, and an almost total absence of volunteers, the lines have turned into a battlefield.
Insults, anger, and some pushing among the thousands of accredited people desperate not knowing why everything is moving so slowly. The few organization members present, washing their hands, have merged or split lines without being very clear about what they were doing, causing huge frustrations. At one point, someone from the organization even led a group of hundreds of journalists to the other side of the stadium, but they were met with total refusal from the police, who were not willing to listen to reasons.
In the VIP and public areas, much better organized, with hundreds of police officers ready, everything is functioning normally for now.
Reported by our correspondent Pablo R. Suanzes.
The last match between Spain and Argentina occurred on March 27, 2018 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, in a friendly match preparing for the Russia World Cup. The Spanish team, then coached by Julen Lopetegui defeated (6-1) the team led by Sampaoli with goals from Diego Costa, Thiago Alcántara, Iago Aspas and a hat trick from Isco Alarcón. Argentina’s only goal was scored by Nicolás Otamendi.
The MetLife Stadium or New York New Jersey Stadium is the home of the New York Giants and the New York Jets in the NFL. Opened in 2010, thanks to an investment of 1.6 billion euros, this stadium has a capacity for 82,500 spectators and features 218 luxury boxes and four giant screens.
The referee for the match will be Slovenian Slavko Vincic. This referee was also in charge of officiating the only match that Argentina lost in the last World Cup, the match against Saudi Arabia (2-1).
Throughout the tournament (7 matches), the Spanish national team has scored a total of 13 goals and has only conceded one, against Belgium in the quarterfinals. In contrast, the Argentine team, current champion, has managed to score 19 goals, six more than Spain, although it has conceded seven.
If Spain wins today’s final, it would not only become the current World Champion, but also the last winner of the Eurocup, the last winner at the Olympic Games, and the winning team of the Women’s World Championship.
The head-to-head record between Argentina and Spain throughout history is very even. Of the 14 matches these two teams have played so far, six have been victories for La Roja, another six for La Albiceleste, and two draws.
Good afternoon and welcome to the narration of the great final of the 2026 World Cup between Spain and Argentina at the New York Stadium at 9:00 PM.
