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ATLANTA STADIUM — Watching Argentina’s coach speak the day before his team produced one of the most epic semifinal comebacks in World Cup history, it was impossible not to think that Lionel Scaloni was trying to soften the potential blow for the soccer-crazy nation’s almost 47 million citizens. La Albiceleste has been so successful under the unassuming 48-year-old — winning a World Cup and two Copa América crowns in the last five years — that the prospect of losing has become almost incomprehensible to most fans. Maybe even to Argentina’s players, who never seem to know when they’re beaten. Scaloni, the thinking went, had to be the realist among the dreamers. And then, midway through the press conference that followed Wednesday’s win — a victory that will see Argentina face Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final just outside New York City — he revealed that he and his staff had begun scouting La Roja before actually advancing to the championship match. “We’ve analyzed the game a little bit,” Scaloni said of Spain’s 2-0 win over France in the other semi, which was played in Dallas on Tuesday. “It’s a great team. I would say they deserved to win that semifinal. They played very well. They beat a team that I thought was very difficult to beat, and they beat them squarely. “We also saw them at that point as a potential rival,” he continued. “And now we’ve analyzed them a bit more.” It was a low-key astonishing admission. Every half-decent coach, in any sport at any level, implores their players never to look ahead as a matter of course. Control what you can. Focus on only the task in front of you, or risk getting sidetracked. Yet there was Scaloni, already preparing for a title bout that might never come. It’s as if he knew, having watched his players grind their way to victory at every turn since being hired to lead his country in 2018 — not least in the 2022 World Cup final, when they squandered two leads against a more talented Les Bleus squad and yet still found a way to prevail — that such prep work was necessary. “I think that this team plays the best when we are facing a difficult situation with adversity,” Scaloni said after defeating England, which led 1-0 with just five minutes of the regular 90 remaining. “We had a challenging game, a challenging situation. We smelled blood in the water, and we went for it.” Now comes the ultimate test. It’s a special match for Scaloni and many of his players. Lionel Messi is a Spanish citizen who moved to Barcelona as a child to follow his dreams of becoming an elite professional. Although Messi left Europe for South Florida three years ago to join Inter Miami of MLS, he remains immensely popular everywhere in Spain with the possible exception of Madrid, the home of Barça’s chief rival. “Not all Spaniards love him, but the majority do,” Scaloni said of Messi. “He’s very special for them as well, [as] the best player in history.” Seven of the 26 men on Argentina’s roster play for Spanish clubs. Scaloni himself lives in Mallorca with his Spanish wife and children; he once played for the La Liga club there and represented Deportivo La Coruña and Racing de Santander, too. He’s become friends with La Roja coach Luis de la Fuente. “Everybody knows that I’m in Spain, have a Spanish family, and on Sunday — though I’m very, very sorry — I’m going to try to beat Mr. De la Fuente,” he said. After Wednesday, how can anyone not like Argentina’s chances of becoming the first repeat World Cup champ since Brazil in 1962? Nobody is more sure of his team than its coach. “We’re going to win the final,” Scaloni said, before seeming to catch himself. “We’re going try to win the final,” he clarified. “I know how special this team is,” he added. “We’ve got to prepare for the game, but everybody has to celebrate as well. There are very few moments that we have where we can just be truly joyful. Tomorrow, we have to think about what’s next.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

It all comes down to this: Spain and Argentina will meet in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday at New York New Jersey Stadium in the world’s most important game. It is a clash between two elite national teams who both put on remarkable performances in their respective semifinal wins. It pits the reigning European champion who is undefeated in its last 14 games in major tournaments (13 wins and one draw) against a team whose success is unparalleled, like the two-time reigning Copa América holders and the defending World Cup champion. Here is everything you need to know about the FIFA World Cup final: Spain vs. Argentina: How To Watch Winning any major international tournament is exceptionally hard as it takes world-class talent, top coaching, no off days, and even a little bit of luck. On Sunday, Argentina will attempt to win its fourth consecutive major tournament in what would be an unprecedented feat. Of course, the accomplishment was made possible by Lionel Messi, who is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time. What is striking about Messi’s career is that most of his international success began at the age of 34 with the 2021 Copa América, when he was named the tournament’s best player in leading Argentina to its first title since 1993. Then he won the World Cup in 2022 at the age of 35, where he was again named the best player. Argentina repeated the Copa América title in 2024 in the United States despite Messi scoring just one goal and leaving the final injured. Now at the 2026 World Cup, Messi has once again continued to dominate the tournament at the age of 39. He scored Argentina’s first five goals of the tournament and only three of the team’s 14 goals in the last five games. What is so impressive, is that in the last five games he has actually played his best because he has been elevating his teammates. Against England, Messi took advantage of England’s defensive shift after the Three Lions took a 1-0 lead. He then assisted on Enzo Fernández’s equalizer in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martinez’s stoppage time winner. Messi has instead helped to balance the team’s attack and give it more versatility. Argentina has an incredible amount of talent and Messi has helped to bring it all to its potential. Lionel Scaloni also has this team playing with raw intensity and a desire to win that has not been matched. Argentina has been vulnerable at times in this tournament, such as trailing Egypt by two goals late, or trailing England 1-0 into the 85h minute. But Argentina has excelled when its back has been against the wall. If there is any team that can match Argentina’s intensity, it is Spain. La Roja played a near perfect game in its 2-0 win over France in the semifinal. What makes Spain so great is that all the players are so deeply committed to the system implemented by head coach Luis de la Fuente. No team in this tournament can pass and move as well as Spain. Once Spain has possession, it is extremely difficult to win it back. Then on the defensive side, Spain knows how to shut down spaces and force turnovers. Everyone in Spain plays a role in its system, but Rodri is the glue that makes the team move. Against France, the Manchester City central midfielder put on a world-class shift in terms of connecting the ball from the midfield and into the attack. Then defensively, he forced France into turnovers. He also won a significant percentage of his duels to keep Spain in possession. Spain’s attack is led by teenager Lamine Yamal and veteran forward Mikel Oyarzabal, who spent his entire career at Real Sociedad as opposed to the top clubs where elite center forwards play. Oyarzabal has been a perfect center forward for Spain’s system, and he typically finds ways to score big goals. Yamal, on the other hand, is a teenage superstar at Barcelona who is on the verge of becoming the next global superstar. Of course, if the winger can now in the World Cup, he will be on a path reserved for only the greatest players. The architect of Spain’s rise is de la Fuente. The team has become completely dedicated to his vision. During his tenure, Spain won all seven of its games at Euro 2024 and now has won six of seven at this World Cup. The only blemish he has in a major tournament leading Spain is a 0-0 draw with Cape Verde. But de la Fuente has created a team that is extremely difficult to break down. Through seven games, La Roja conceded just one goal. In the semifinal, world-class attackers Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé never looked dangerous. De la Fuente’s team is as prepared as any team this decade to contain Messi. This game has no clear favorites. Just two great teams led by global stars. It will be an extremely hard-fought game and the winner will be a worthy champion. Players To Watch Everyone needs to watch Lionel Messi in this game because this might be the last chance to see the greatest player of all time play in an important game for his country. He is looking to win his fourth straight major title for La Albiceleste and add to his record 21 career World Cup goals. At age 39, Messi is only continuing to get better. With his two assists against England, he now has eight goals and two assists in this tournament. He became the first player ever to have over 10 goal involvements in consecutive World Cups after scoring seven and assisting on three goals in 2022. Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández has a critical assignment on Sunday. As a central midfielder, he will be tasked with going against the heart of Spain’s system in the middle of the field where Rodi and Fabian Ruiz typically dictate the game on their terms. Fernandez had a great performance against England. Even beyond his goal, Fernandez was very effective in his passing where he made few mistakes, switched the point of attack, and regularly got the ball into dangerous positions. He needs to be just as effective against Spain for Argentina to have a good chance. The 19-year-old central defender might be the best centerback in the world after what he has shown in this tournament. Already a regular starter for Barcelona, Cubarsí has been even more impressive with Spain as he is a major reason why his team has conceded just one goal across its seven games at the World Cup. Handling Argentina will require another big effort, but if he is successful, he will widely be considered a global superstar and the most valuable player in the world at his position. The Manchester City central midfielder is the engine of Spain’s system. He is a tireless worker who is so effective on both sides of the ball. He will present Argentina with the toughest test it has faced at this World Cup. If he can control the midfield and force Argentina into chasing the game the way France did, Spain has an excellent chance of winning. For La Roja, it starts with him.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Argentina and Spain are set to meet in Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final, where Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal will square off in a star-studded matchup that bridges soccer’s past, present and future. FOX Sports soccer analysts Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimović reacted to Argentina’s comeback win over England on Wednesday. For Henry, Sunday’s final is about more than just Spain and Argentina. It’s a clash between one of the best the game has ever seen against one of the brightest young stars in the sport today. “For me, what else do you want? European champion versus South American champion and world champion,” Henry said. “Lamine Yamal versus Lionel Messi. The future and this guy [Messi] is the past, present and the future and forever. I’m excited to see that.” Lionel Messi has the chance to lead Argentina to back-to-back World Cup titles, while the 19-year-old Yamal can bring Spain its first championship since 2010 and further cement himself as one of soccer’s brightest young stars in what feels like a passing-of-the-torch showdown. The debate quickly shifted to an even bigger question: Who will win the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain? Henry declined to make a prediction, saying Messi’s history with Argentina and his legendary career at Barcelona made it too difficult to pick a side. “I actually didn’t finish one,” Thierry said. “It’s because of what Leo [Lionel Messi] represents in Spain. He played all his career there and the fear that they might be facing someone stronger than any other human being because of what they’ve seen so many times in their country.” Ibrahimović shared Henry’s view but believes Spain has the tools to handle Argentina because its style of play matches up well against the defending champions. “Spain handled France very good. … I believe they can handle Argentina,” Ibrahimović said. “They’re going to play their possession. Argentina is not a counterattack team like the way they played today. They were attacking, but I believe Spain is going to do their thing.” Ibrahimović believes Spain’s path to its first World Cup title in nearly two decades will come down to patience. If they can remain composed and control the tempo, he believes Spain has what it takes to dominate Argentina and come away with the win. “You’re going to challenge on the sides with Yamal and I believe Argentina if they don’t have patience, they’re going to hunt the ball and lose patience,” Ibrahimović said. “I believe Spain is going to dominate that game.” As he continued to break down the matchup, Henry pointed to Spain’s dominance in possession as one of its biggest strengths. “Now you have these two competing cultures clashing in this final,” Henry said. “What we saw yesterday from Spain, in terms of the possession, I don’t think that’s necessarily going to change against a team like Argentina. Here tonight [against England], they showed up.” Argentina once again found a way, scoring twice in the closing minutes to complete another comeback victory over England. The question now is whether Messi and Argentina have enough left in the tank to take down a well-rounded Spain side. “Is this the night where they took that last scoop? I don’t know,” Henry said. “Are you going to bet against them with a guy like Messi and with what this team is? There always seems to be a little bit of water in this Argentinian well and it served them well.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports