Reigning European and South American champs face off in World Cup Final

The GIST: 2024 Euro champions Spain entered this tournament with high expectations, and it’s safe to say they lived up to them. Hoping to capitalize on an extra 24 hours of rest, Spain just might have all the pieces in place to win their second WC title.

❤️‍🔥 Lights out defense allowed La Roja to find their footing: Their surprising draw against newcomers Cabo Verde inspired concern about the offense, leaving little attention for Spain’s defensive masterclass. With at least one part of their game on lockdown, key injured players like teenage phenom Lamine Yamal were able to work their way gradually back into the lineup.

• Peaking at exactly the right time, Spain are now looking lethal. They’ve conceded one goal this entire tournament, a feat only seen once in modern footy — by Italy in 2006 who went on to win the WC.

• And while their foe is known for their last-minute heroics, La Roja boast a little late-game magic of their own: Super substitute Mikel Merino scored game-winning goals against both Portugal and Belgium in the knockouts.

👀 All eyes will be on Argentina’s Lionel Messi vs. the aforementioned Yamal. The greatest of all time facing his 19-year-old Barcelona prodigy is a script almost too perfect to believe, but Spain’s battle for the Cup could be determined by these players farther back:

• 🔴 Rodri | Midfielder: Rodri has completed more passes than any player in the history of the men’s tournament. It’s not as flashy as scoring goals, but efficient midfield play means less turnovers and less chances for opposing teams to exploit a mistake.

• 🟡 Pau Cubarsí | Defense: Another teenager poised to make history, Cubarsí has also played every minute of this WC and completely neutralized French star Kylian Mbappé in the semis. Just one more Golden Boot contender to go.

The GIST: If there’s one thing this Argentina side is bad at, it’s losing. They won the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 WC in Qatar, the 2024 Copa América, and are trying to become the first country to defend a WC title since Brazil 64 years ago. Casual.

🗺️ Argentina’s road to the Final was filled with comebacks and controversy: La Albiceleste cruised through the group stage thanks to several Messi milestones, including oldest player to score a hat trick and all-time leading WC scorer…at least for now.

• But things got a bit dicey in the knockout rounds. Argentina needed extra time to down Cabo Verde and Switzerland, and had dramatic late-game comebacks against Egypt and England. Their semifinal was clean, but questionable calls in the Egypt game brought the birth of the VARgentina meme.

🏆 So, will Messi earn his second WC trophy? The reigning champs enter as underdogs, but they’re also unbeaten in 13 straight WC games. And even when they go down, they’re never completely out, as seen in their semifinal win.

😮 Alongside Messi, Argentina rosters several other players who can majorly impact the match against Spain:

• 🔵 Alexis Mac Allister | Midfielder: Mac Allister vs. Spain’s Rodri will be a potentially game-swinging midfield battle. Mac Allister plays higher up compared to Rodri and excels at finding his attackers even in tight spaces.

• ⚪ Enzo Fernández | Midfielder: Fernández is a disruptor with a knack for big-time goals — the man loves a long-range shot. When teams double or even triple Messi, Fernández is there to make them regret it.

This will be the first WC Final to feature a halftime show and the reactions are…mixed, especially considering FIFA extended the halftime break from the usual 15 to 30 minutes in order to accommodate the performances.

• Will that be enough time to build (and disassemble) a stage big enough for Shakira, Justin Bieber, Madonna, BTS, Burna Boy, Coldplay, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, characters from Sesame Street and the Muppets, and more? We’re about to find out.

😨 Fans are concerned about how the longer break will impact players who’ve only known brief halftimes. Plus the WC Final is spectacle enough for the majority of the world: It’s the most-watched television event on Earth, bringing in more than a billion viewers.

• This tournament already allowed broadcasters to sneak in extra commercials during mandatory hydration breaks, making the traditional 45-minute halves feel more like quarters. Now the halftime show is widely seen as an attempt to “Americanize” the game even further.

🌎 All that said, this star-studded lineup is not the problem. The performers are working pro bono in support of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund with a goal of raising $100M to increase access to education and soccer opportunities for underserved children worldwide. Music to our ears.