Spain and Argentina will contest the World Cup final this weekend. The reigning world champions came from behind to beat England in their semi-final on Wednesday night as Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez scored late goals to keep hopes of retaining the trophy alive.
After coming out on top in a dramatic final in Qatar four years ago, Argentina are seeking to become only the third nation ever to win back-to-back World Cups, following the Italy team of 1934 and 1938, and the great Brazil outfit of 1958 and 1962.
Spain were first to book their place in the World Cup 2026 final after beating pre-tournament favourites France in Dallas on Tuesday thanks to goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro. As such, La Roja have the chance to complete a second European Championships and World Cup double, 16 years on from achieving the feat.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Spain vs Argentina is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Sunday, July 19, 2026. The match will take place at the New York/New Jersey Stadium.
Where to watch Spain vs Argentina for FREE
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on ITV1 and BBC One, with coverage starting at 6.45pm and 7pm BST respectively.
Live stream: UK viewers can also catch the contest live online via BBC iPlayer and the ITVX app as well as both channels’ websites.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Free highlights: World Cup highlights are available on FIFA’s official YouTube channel, along with BBC iPlayer / ITVX app and their websites.
Spain vs Argentina team news
Spain came through the France game unscathed in terms of injuries and have a clean bill of health heading into the final. Nico Williams has come off the bench in the last two games, so will be pushing for a start at the expense of Alex Baena. In midfield, Barcelona’s Pedri has been dropped for the last two games and there’s no guarantee he will earn a recall with Rodri and Fabian Ruiz impressing against France.
Lionel Scaloni’s substitutions against England made the difference in their comeback win, with Martinez taking all the headlines with the all-important winning goal in stoppage time. However, it must be noted that Nicolas Gonzalez and Rodrigo De Paul, in particular, helped change the game and therefore they could be in contention to start the final.
Spain squad
Goalkeepers: David Raya, Joan Garcia, Unai Simon
Defenders: Marc Pubill, Alex Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Marcos Llorente, Pedro Porro, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Cucurella
Midfielders: Mikel Merino, Fabian Ruiz, Gavi, Alex Baena, Rodri, Martin Zubimendi, Pedri
Forwards: Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo, Yeremy Pino, Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal, Victor Munoz, Borja Iglesias
Argentina squad
Goalkeepers: Juan Musso, Geronimo Rulli, Emiliano Martinez
Defenders: Marcos Senesi, Nicolas Tagliafico, Gonzalo Montiel, Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Facundo Medina, Nahuel Molina
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Valentin Barco, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Nicolas Gonzalez, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez
Forwards: Julian Alvarez, Lionel Messi, Thiago Almada, Giuliano Simeone, Nicolas Paz, Jose Manuel Lopez, Lautaro Martinez
Spain vs Argentina prediction
Spain have quietly gone about their business all tournament and were mightily impressive in the semi-final win over France. However, this Argentina team just has a knack of producing when it matters in the big moments, thus making this a difficult one to call. The fact that retaining the World Cup has only been done twice before shows how hard it is to do, but we think Argentina will make history as Lionel Messi bows out on top. Argentina to win, 1-0.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Spain wins: 6
Argentina wins: 6
Draws: 2
Spain vs Argentina match odds
Spain to win trophy: 4/6
Argentina to win trophy: 5/4
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