Spain vs Argentina: World Cup final predictions, schedule, Messi news

Spain and Argentina meet in Sunday’s World Cup final in New Jersey, where the trophy and a place in football history are at stake.

Away from the pitch, the build-up has centred on Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal, predictions, wildfire smoke and the referee chosen for the biggest match in the sport.

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Here’s what to know before the final kicks off:

What’s the schedule for the World Cup final?

Spain vs Argentina, on Sunday, July 19 (19:00 GMT), East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States.

What are the predictions?

This will mark just the second FIFA World Cup meeting between Spain and Argentina. Their only previous encounter came during the 1966 group stage, where Argentina edged Spain 2-1.

Since the turn of the century, Spain have enjoyed the upper hand in this fixture, winning three of their four clashes with Argentina.

According to the Opta supercomputer, Spain enter the final as favourites to lift the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy. Across 25,000 pre-match simulations, Spain emerged as champions 59.6 percent of the time, while Argentina successfully defended their title in the remaining 40.4 percent.

Looking only at the outcome after 90 minutes, Spain claimed victory in 45 percent of the simulations. A draw, sending the final into extra time, occurred in 29.0 percent of runs, while Argentina won in normal time in the remaining 26 percent.

What other things are happening?

Messi’s final World Cup?

Fans are following Messi’s final training session, the Golden Boot race, the viral image of a baby Yamal with the Argentinian legend, and what many see as a symbolic passing of the torch, with the Spanish teenager hoping to announce himself as football’s next global superstar.

Canadian wildfire smoke blankets New York before World Cup final

Smoke from Canadian wildfires has blanketed much of the northeastern US, triggering ⁠health alerts, but a ⁠cold front expected on the weekend will help dissipate the dangerous haze in time for Sunday’s World Cup final in the New York area.

More ⁠than 80,000 people are expected to attend the World Cup final at the open-air New York New Jersey Stadium, while another 50,000 are ⁠expected to watch the game from Central Park in Manhattan.

New York began feeling the effects of the wildfires this week, and city authorities issued an alert urging residents to reduce strenuous outdoor activity and take extra breaks if they are outside.

On Thursday, the air quality ‌in New Jersey, the site of the stadium, was rated as “unhealthy for sensitive groups” by several air quality measurement platforms.

Referee emotional over final

Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic will take charge of the Argentina-Spain World Cup final.

The 46-year-old from Maribor becomes the first Slovenian to officiate a men’s World Cup final. His previous major appointments include the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

Vincic’s appointment means Argentina, the defending champions, will play a second consecutive World Cup final with a European referee overseeing the match against European opposition.

The selection comes after refereeing decisions involving Argentina drew scrutiny during the tournament. Critics pointed to several contentious calls, including an incident in which Messi avoided a red card following a challenge on an Algeria player. After Egypt formally complained about officiating following its 3-2 defeat to Argentina, FIFA’s head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, defended the officials, saying: “Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials.”

Vincic has overseen three matches at the 2026 World Cup, issuing seven yellow cards, one red card and awarding no penalties. His most recent assignment came in the round of 32, when he sent off Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie after a video review for covering his mouth during a confrontation with a Mexico player. He also refereed the group-stage draws between Brazil and Morocco and Algeria’s 2-1 victory over Jordan.

He will be assisted by fellow Slovenians Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic, while Germany’s Bastian Dankert will serve as the video assistant referee (VAR) with Colombia’s Nicolas Gallo assisting in the video operations room.

Vincic said he was overcome with emotion when he learned of his appointment at FIFA’s referees’ base in Miami.

“First came the shock, then the happiness,” he said. “I was shaking. Officiating a World Cup final is an incredible honour. It’s every referee’s dream when they first start, so I’m extremely proud of myself and my team.”

Messi’s emotional letter to fans

Messi shared an emotional message ahead of the World Cup final, thanking his teammates, coaching staff and fans for their support throughout the team’s journey.

Writing on Instagram on the eve of the final, the Argentina captain reflected on his years with the national team, saying the memories he values most go beyond the trophies they have won.

“The most beautiful thing about all these years was never just the titles, but the entire journey,” Messi wrote. “Sharing day-to-day life with this group, competing together, picking ourselves up in the difficult moments, and enjoying every step.”

Argentinian fans take over NYC

Times Square transformed into Buenos Aires as passionate Argentinian fans created a “sea of blue and white” before the final.

The Cape Verde connection

Pre-final, fans are highlighting the Cape Verde connection.

Cape Verde became the only team that neither finalist, Spain nor Argentina, managed to beat in regulation time during the tournament.

The island nation of about 530,000 people held Spain to a draw in the group stage before pushing Argentina to the brink of elimination in the round of 32, forcing extra time after a dramatic 2-2 draw. Argentina eventually prevailed 3-2, but Cape Verde left the tournament as one of the competition’s biggest surprise packages.

Netanyahu declares support for Argentina

Argentina’s ambassador to Israel has presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a football jersey in advance of the World Cup final. Netanyahu says he is supporting Argentina and has a great relationship with the country’s President Javier Milei.

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