World Cup Final Preview: Spain vs. Argentina

Previewing the big one

Jul 17, 2026

It all comes down to this.

Lionel Messi and Argentina are looking to become the first back-to-back World Cup champions since Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962, or Spain is looking to win their second ever World Cup.

These two teams have taken very different paths to the final, but it sets up a historic clash at MetLife Stadium.

Spain has been dominant throughout the knockout stage, conceding only one goal, and has yet to play from behind in this tournament.

Argentina, on the other hand, has needed to come from behind time and again to reach the final. They needed extra time against both Cape Verde and Switzerland, needed to score 3 goals in the final 20 minutes against Egypt, and then needed two late goals against England.

This is by far the best team Argentina has faced since the 2022 World Cup final against France and a completely different opponent as well.

Spain is going to control a majority of the possession, and they are going to force Argentina to defend for a majority of the match.

Will Spain’s control and Lamine Yamal lift them to their second World Cup final, or will the GOAT deliver one final magical World Cup performance to go out on a high note?

Let’s dive in!

Spain in Possession vs Argentina out of Possession

Spain has been in complete control throughout this World Cup, and I don’t see that changing here.

They have averaged 64% possession and completely sucked the life out of their opponents. What they typically have done in the buildup is gone with a 3-1-2-4 shape. They’ll use Rodri as the single pivot; Ruiz and Olmo occupy the half spaces to create a diamond, while Baena inverts to allow Cucurella to push high up the pitch.

What this does is create a diamond in the middle of the pitch, forcing a team like Argentina, defending in a 4-4-2, to make a decision about their centerbacks and midfielders.

If the double pivot decides to mark Ruiz and Olmo, there is space for Oyarzabal to drop in centrally, and it also gives Rodri, with the two centerbacks, a 3 v 2 to pass the ball around.

So if you take away all the central areas and defend Spain effectively there, you have to deal with them in the open areas. Before we get to Yamal, I want to talk about the left side of the pitch because I think Cucurella is going to play a key role for Spain in this match.

With Baena inverting, it can sometimes create 2 v 1 or 2 v 2s, which gives them space to combine and get a cross into the box. That is how the penalty against France was given: Laporte pushed the ball up to create a 3 v 2, which gave Cucurella space to cross into the box

Then comes the Yamal factor in all of this. Other than drawing the penalty, he was pretty quiet against France, but you have to double- or triple-team him, which creates space for others.

Argentina doesn’t normally press and instead likes to sit in a 4-4-2 just like France, which, if we are being honest, Spain kind of struggled to break down.

Their second goal was a good example of how counter-movements and quick passing are necessary to play effectively through a low block.

That is what they will have to do to be successful, but they also have to be effective at turning Argentina over high up the pitch to create quick transition opportunities like this one against France.

There are so many things you have to do well to defend Spain effectively, so it’s going to take a world-class performance from Argentina out of possession.

Argentina in Possession vs. Spain out of Possession

Here is the thing with Argentina: I find they have only looked good in possession when they take risks and aggressively attack the opponent’s back line.

That is how they scored early against Cape Verde, it’s how they created dangerous chances against Egypt, and it’s how they turned the tide against England in the semifinal.

Against England specifically, there were too many times when Argentina tried to drop their forwards deep to play through England’s defensive block, but it simply didn’t work.

They could get four-man combinations like this or drop Messi alongside MacAllister and Fernandez, but there wasn’t any space to play through the middle of England’s 4-1-4-1.

The best thing that happened to Argentina during the knockout round was falling behind. Forcing them to be aggressive in possession by piling more attackers into the box allowed them to be more dangerous, and it’s the reason they are in the final.

Once they got desperate and started really attacking England’s back line, they were incredibly effective with crosses into the box, completing six of them, but their three most dangerous chances in the match came from crosses.

I have to imagine Spain will have the majority of the control in this match, so I wonder if Argentina will look to play more on the break and focus on being aggressive in possession rather than trying to control the match.

Scaloni has made the proper adjustments and tweaks throughout the knockout stage because Argentina has been a second-half team.

As you can see, it’s been a night-and-day difference after the halftime break.

Now, while they’ve been a great second-half team, coming back against Cape Verde, Egypt, 10-man Switzerland, and an extremely passive England is a lot different than Spain.

As France found out, it’s incredibly difficult to maintain any level of control against this Spanish side, let alone try to play direct against them.

That is why France was held to their worst offensive performance, maybe ever under Deschamps, because Spain kept winning duels in the middle of the pitch and also didn’t allow France to break out in transition to use their pace to their benefit.

If Argentina falls behind in this match, it’s going to look a whole lot different and present another level of difficulty that I am not sure they will be able to overcome.