By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — After 103 matches and 38 days of action, we’re down to the final game on the last day of the 2026 World Cup.
A total of 46 teams have fallen and only two nations remain – world No. 1 Argentina and world No. 2 Spain.
Incredibly, the last time the two teams met on the World Cup stage was back in 1966, but they are set to clash again at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
There are so many storylines and subplots to explore ahead of the final, including half-time shows and President Donald Trump in attendance, so let’s get straight into it.
Styles make fights
Firstly, this will be a clash of two very opposing styles. To use a phrase coined by former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, it’s heavy metal music versus an orchestra.
On the one hand, Argentina is all about aggression and physicality. They do the ugly stuff so well, almost prioritizing that over the obvious quality it possesses. It’s all guns blazing from the opening minute, foot smashed down against the accelerator, hurtling downhill and throwing everything it has in attack.
All that chaos lays the perfect foundation for Lionel Messi to wave his magic wand. His teammates – more akin to bodyguards this summer – do the dirty work, which leaves Messi to focus solely on unlocking the opposition’s defense with his unrivaled quality.
It’s a tactic that has worked. A host of late goals and comebacks suggests opponents can’t live with Argentina’s intensity for a full 90 minutes.
Then you have Spain. La Roja is a far more patient team, preferring to keep possession and pass their opponent to death, waiting for any momentary lapse of concentration. The philosophy is a simple one: If we have the ball, the opposition can’t score – and it’s one that’s served the nation well in recent years.
Spain last won the World Cup in 2010 off the back of a similar possession-based game, dubbed “tiki-taka”. That style of play defined an era of soccer that has started to be pushed out by a more physical form in recent seasons. Even when Spain won the European Championship in 2022, it did so by utilizing the pace and directness of its wingers.
But after several injuries to the squad this summer, manager Luis de la Fuente has reverted to Spain’s trusty trademark, which sees it as the narrow favorite for the title.
The aim for Argentina is clear for everyone to see: knock Spain out of its rhythm.
With that said, Spanish star Rodri will have a target on his back (or, more appropriately, his ankles). The 30-year-old is often the metronome in that Spanish midfield who keeps things ticking. No player in the tournament has made more passes than him (694, over a hundred more than anyone else). Stop him and Argentina takes away Spain’s superpower.
You won’t be surprised to hear that no team has committed more fouls than Argentina this tournament, so expect tackles aplenty and heated confrontations flaring up both on and off the pitch.
Spain must remain calm and not rise to the bait if it wants to stick to its game plan – although that’s easier said than done. One thing’s for sure, referee Slavko Vinčić will have his work cut out from the off.
“I think Sunday’s match will be quite different, as it will be a more physical one and we must be prepared,” Rodri told reporters in the days ahead of the final, saying he’s confident his team can hold its own against any style of play.
“We know how to play different games based on the moment. So, we can adapt to having to defend, counterattacking, to attacking. We are a very complete team, and that is why we are here.”
The King vs the Prince
The clash of styles is one subplot b