FIFA WC: Argentina vs Spain Match preview, squads and live telecast details
Argentina and Spain will battle for the FIFA World Cup 2026 title at MetLife Stadium in New York. Here's a complete preview of the final, including both teams' road to the summit clash, squads, match timing, and live streaming and telecast details in India
New York: Defending champions Argentina will take on European champions Spain in the final of the biggest-ever FIFA World Cup, with the 104th match to be played at the MetLife Stadium on Monday (IST).
Spain reached the final after outclassing favourites France in the semi-finals. Luis de la Fuente’s side controlled the match from start to finish, suffocating the high-powered French attack through long spells of possession and precise finishing.
That semi-final match against Les Bleus was the high point of Spain’s campaign so far. La Roja began their World Cup adventure by topping Group H, although it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Surprise package Cabo Verde held them to a goalless draw in their opening match before De la Fuente’s men made up for their slow start by putting four past Saudi Arabia and then rounding off their group stage campaign with a 1-0 victory over a feisty Uruguay.
Spain cruised through the Round of 32 with a comfortable 3-0 win over Austria. But in the following two rounds, they needed late winning goals from Mikel Merino to overcome tough European opponents. The first of Merino’s strikes, in the Round of 16, came against Portugal (1-0). They followed that up with a second last-gasp victory against Belgium (2-1) in a match in which they conceded what has, so far, been their only goal of the tournament.
The defending champions opened their campaign with three successive group stage victories, led by the extraordinary Lionel Messi, who now has eight goals in this tournament and 21 across his long World Cup career. In the knockout rounds, their road became much more difficult. Lionel Scaloni’s men needed extra time to overcome a defiant Cabo Verde side in a 3-2 thriller. In the Round of 16, the score was the same and the match even more dramatic. Egypt held a 2-0 lead entering the 79th minute, but Argentina turned the game around, producing a historic comeback to win 3-2.
In the last eight, Argentina went blow for blow with Switzerland and needed extra time to eventually defeat opponents who, at 1-1, had been reduced to 10 men. Julian Alvarez eventually broke their resistance with a magnificent goal, and Lautaro Martinez added a third for good measure.
The drama did not stop in the semi-final against England, who took the lead early in the second half thanks to Anthony Gordon and looked set to run down the clock. However, the Albiceleste once again rallied thanks to a long-range strike from Enzo Fernandez and a back-post header from substitute Martinez. As a result, Argentina now return to the final four years after their Qatar 2022 triumph against France, and once again European opposition stand between them and the World Cup trophy.
How to watch Argentina vs Spain final live in India
Live streaming and live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final will be available on the Zee5 platform and app in India. A subscription will be required.
Live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final will be available on the Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD TV channels in India.
Key details
Date and kick-off time: Monday, July 20, 12:30 am IST
Venue: MetLife Stadium, New York
Referee: Slavko Vincic
Squads:
Spain
Goalkeepers: Unai Simon, David Raya, Joan Garcia
Defenders: Pedro Porro, Marcos Llorente, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Pubill, Eric Garcia, Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo
Midfielders: Rodrigo Hernandez, Martin Zubimendi, Pedri Gonzalez, Fabian Ruiz, Mikel Merino, Pablo Paez ‘Gavi’, Alex Baena
Forwards: Mikel Oyarzabal, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Borja Iglesias, Dani Olmo, Victor Munoz, Nico Williams, Yeremy Pin
Argentina
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Juan Musso
Defenders: Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolas Tagliafico, Facundo Medina
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Enzo Fernandez, Valentin Barco
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, Thiago Almada, Nicolas Paz, Nicolas Gonzalez, Giuliano Simeone, Jose Manuel Lopez
