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Could we have asked for a better World Cup final?
The top two teams in FIFA’s pre-tournament standings will meet on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium, with 39-year-old Lionel Messi taking on 19-year-old Lamine Yamal.
With so many stories and tons of history to be made, FOX Sports Research has broken down this historic matchup into numbers.
Let’s take a look.
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1: For the first time, the World Cup final pits the reigning European champion against the reigning South American champion.
1: This is also the first time that teams ranked No. 1 (Argentina) and No. 2 (Spain) in the FIFA world rankings meet in the World Cup final (since rankings were introduced in 1992).
2: There are only two players in this World Cup who have completed more than 20 dribbles: Lionel Messi (25) and Lamine Yamal (22).
1966: The two have met once before in the World Cup, when Argentina won 2-1 in the 1966 group stage.
14: These two teams have met 14 times before, with the record split at 6-2-6 (WDL) all-time (all competitions); Spain has won four of the last six meetings between the two, with Argentina’s last victory coming in 2010.
Spain
0: Yamal has yet to score a goal or provide an assist in the World Cup round of 16; He is the third teenager to play in seven World Cups (Kylian Mbappé, Pau Cubarsí).
1: Spain seeks to be the first country to host the men’s and women’s World Cups simultaneously.
7: Spain is seeking to become the seventh nation to win multiple World Cups, having won its only previous appearance in the final in 2010.
3: La Roja seeks to become the third country to win the title in its first two World Cup finals (Uruguay 1930 and 1950, Italy 1934 and 1938).
Lamine Yamal has only scored one goal in this tournament, but he has constantly attracted the attention of opposing players. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
3: Mikel Oyarzabal is the third Spanish player to score five goals in a World Cup (David Villa 2010, Emilio Butragueño 1986); With one more goal he will become the first Spanish player to score six goals in a single World Cup.
5: Spain is the fifth reigning European champion to reach the World Cup final and seeks to be the third to win the title (Germany 1974, Spain 2010).
5: Spain has won five of the six finals it has played in major tournaments (World Cup, Euro Cup).
6: La Roja is the first team to keep six clean sheets in a single World Cup and has conceded a goal in seven games in this World Cup.
8: Dani Olmo has eight assists in major tournaments (World Cup, Euro Cup), one away from surpassing Cesc Fàbregas as the highest number ever achieved by a Spanish player.
14: Luis de la Fuente has coached more matches in the World Cup and European Championship without losing than any other coach under 14 years (13 wins, one draw).
15: Spain has been undefeated in 15 consecutive games in major tournaments (13 wins, two draws); La Roja is also the first European team to win eight consecutive knockout matches in major tournaments (World Cup, Euro Cup).
37: Spain is undefeated in 37 consecutive games in total (28 wins, nine draws), tying the longest streak known by any nation (Italy 2018-21).
63: Rodri has made 63 breaking passes in the final third, the most in a single edition since Xabi Alonso in 2010 (76).
Rodri, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2024, has been one of the best passers of this World Cup. (Photo by Shaun Clark/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Argentina
1: Argentina seeks to become the first team to win four consecutive major tournament titles (they won the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América).
1: Argentina is seeking to become the first nation to win every World Cup match and lift the trophy since Brazil won seven matches in a row in 2002.
2: Lionel Scaloni can become the second coach to win consecutive men’s World Cups, joining Italy’s Vittorio Pozzo (1934, 1938).
2: Messi will become the second man to play in three World Cup finals (2014, 2022, 2026), joining Cafú (Brazil, 1994, 1998, 2002).
3: Argentina has won three of its six previous World Cup finals, winning in 1978, 1986 and 2022 (and losing in 1930, 1990 and 2014).
4: The Albiceleste seeks to become the fourth nation to win four World Cups (Brazil – five, Germany – four, Italy – four).
Lionel Messi scored eight goals and provided eight assists at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Photo by Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)
5: Argentina has scored five goals from outside the box in the 2026 World Cup (Messi twice, Giovani Lo Celso, Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández), tied for the most recorded (since 1966) by any team in a single edition of the tournament.
5: Julián Álvarez has scored five World Cup goals in his career, four of them in the knockout rounds, tied with Diego Maradona as the second Argentine player with the most goals, only behind Messi (seven).
6: Argentina is the sixth reigning champion to reach the World Cup final and seeks to be the third repeated champion in history (Brazil in 1958 and 1962, Italy in 1934 and 1938).
6: If Messi scores, he would become the sixth man to score in two World Cup finals (Vavá – 1958, 1962, Pelé – 1958, 1970, Paul Breitner – 1974, 1982, Zinedine Zidane – 1998, 2006, Kylian Mbappé – 2018, 2022).
7: The Albiceleste is in its seventh World Cup final, tied with Brazil for second all-time (Germany has eight).
8: Argentina has scored eight goals after the 85th minute (including extra time) in this World Cup, a record for a national team in a single edition in the history of the tournament.
13: Argentina has multiple goals in 13 consecutive World Cup matches, the longest streak in the tournament’s history, and is undefeated in 19 consecutive matches in major tournaments (16 wins, three wins on penalties).
Julián Álvarez scored the winning goal in Argentina’s quarterfinal victory over Switzerland. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
13: Alexis Mac Allister has played more World Cup matches without losing than anyone in the history of the competition (13).
14: The Albiceleste has won a team-record 14 consecutive matches, is undefeated in 13 consecutive World Cup matches (11 wins), and has won seven consecutive World Cup matches for the first time.
19: Argentina has 19 goals, the maximum of the tournament; 12 of those goals came after the 75th minute, the most of any team in a single World Cup.
33: Messi has 33 goal contributions (goals and assists) in his World Cup career, more than any player on record (since 1966); His 21 goals are the most of any player in World Cup history and his 12 assists are the most since it was first recorded in 1966.
