Spain World Cup Final Preview: Journey, Team News, Predicted Lineup

The 2026 World Cup final will give Spain their second appearance at the final round of the tournament and their first since winning their first title in the competition in South Africa in 2010. That time, Andrés Iniesta scored the only goal late in extra-time to beat The Netherlands. This time, the New York New Jersey Stadium will host a clash between European Championship holders Spain and Copa América holders Argentina.

The game will take place with a 3pm ET kick-off on Sunday, July 19, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Argentina booked their place with a 2-1 extra-time win over England in Atlanta, Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez scoring in the 85th and 92nd minutes and are set to defend the title they won in Qatar four years ago.

Spain flew into Newark from Dallas on Wednesday night and moved straight to their tournament hotel in Montclair, New Jersey, where fans gathered behind the security perimeter to greet the squad.

Spain's journey to the 2026 World Cup final

Spain reached the 2026 World Cup final for the first time since winning the tournament in 2010, beating France 2-0 in Dallas on July 14. The run started with a scoreless draw against debutants Cape Verde in the group stage, a result that looked shaky at the time.

La Roja topped the group anyway, beating Saudi Arabia and Uruguay on the way, then routed Austria in the round of 32. Mikel Merino struck in injury time to edge Portugal 1-0 in the round of 16, then came off the bench again to seal a 2-1 quarterfinal win over Belgium, the only team to score against Spain all tournament.

The semifinal against France was billed as attack versus defense. France had outscored opponents 16-2 through six games, led by Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé. Spain neutralized both. Mbappé took 34 touches and three shots, none on target. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a first-half penalty after a Lamine Yamal foul drew the call, and Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 58th minute off a give-and-go.

Spain now faces Argentina for the first time since a memorable 6-1 friendly win in Madrid in March 2018 over the Albiceleste, with Isco scoring a hat-trick. That was one of three victories, all in exhibition games, over the past 20 years, alongside a single defeat, 4-1 in Buenos Aires, in 2010.

Spain's strengths at the 2026 World Cup

The defining number is defensive. Spain has allowed one goal in seven matches this tournament, a run that includes shutting out a France side that had been the competition's most powerful attack. Coach Luis de la Fuente's team suffocated France's attack in the semifinal, conceding only 0.31 expected goals, and held the competition's joint top-scorer Kylian Mbappé to only two shots off target and none on target.

In terms of individuals, Mikel Oyarzabal has been the standout. He's now Spain's all-time leading World Cup scorer, and his penalty against France was his fifth goal of the tournament, keeping him in the Golden Boot conversation alongside Mbappé and Lionel Messi. Behind him, Rodri has controlled midfield distribution, giving Spain the platform to dictate tempo rather than chase games.

There's also squad depth showing up at key moments: Merino's substitute goals against Portugal and Belgium, and Porro's break from fullback against France, suggest the impact isn't confined to the front three. De la Fuente called his side "unbeatable" after the France result, and after one goal conceded in seven games, it's a hard claim to argue with.

Spain team news for the 2026 World Cup final

Spain have no new injury concerns to contend with, as the likes of Nico Williams have returned to the fray after being ruled out by injuries earlier on in the tournament. They remain some way from full match sharpness, but are fit and available to feature.

Having recently joined Liverpool from Osasuna, Víctor Muñoz is expected to be fit enough to make the bench having been sidelined for the full duration of the tournament with injuries. He is unlikely to feature, but does add depth in attack.

Yeremy Pino of Crystal Palace is also back in full training after an injury suffered in the final group stage game against Uruguay, with initial fears that he'd broken his collarbone not materializing and the injury proving less serious than first feared.

Spain's expected 2026 World Cup final vs Argentina lineup

Between the sticks, Unai Simón remains first choice ahead of Arsenal's David Raya, and has set a new record at this World Cup after he went 560 minutes without conceding in the competition, breaking a record of 517 minutes which Italy's Walter Zenga had held since 1990.

In defence, Pedro Porro has broken through as one of the stars of this tournament and displaced Marcos Llorente at right-back, while Real Madrid's recent signing Marc Cucurella is one of only two outfield players to play every minute of the competition. The other is Pau Cubarsí, the Barcelona teenager who is excelling in a fine partnership with central defender Aymeric Laporte.

The biggest debate is in midfield. De la Fuente made the surprising call to drop Barcelona prodigy Pedri in the quarterfinals, instead opting for the experience of Paris Saint-Germain's Fabián Ruiz, and it's paid off with Ruiz scoring against Belgium. That means he could be likely to continue.

In the second line of attack, Dani Olmo's strong recent form, including assisting Pedro Porro's goal against France in the semifinal, will see him continue as number 10 with Arsenal's Mikel Merino an option off the bench, with Lamine Yamal and Álex Baena, a loyal figure in De la Fuente's reign, remaining in the wide positions. If fit, Nico Williams could provide a threat against tiring legs late on.

Mikel Oyarzabal, who is the team's top scorer in the tournament so far with five goals and one assist, will lead the line again. He's likely to be replaced at eoms point by Barcelona's Ferran Torres off the bench, having come on as a sub in Spain's last six matches.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com