Messi’s Argentina will face Spain in the World Cup final
Sports analyst Dan Dakich provides coverage of the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, highlighting Lionel Messi’s leadership. Dakic predicts victory for Argentina, praising Messi’s continued greatness. The discussion then turns to WNBA star Caitlin Clarke, who NBA commissioner Adam Silver called “political football” amid controversy over physical games. Dakich attributes some of the problems to jealousy and envy among WNBA players.
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And just like that, it all comes down to Spain and Argentina.
Two soccer giants will look to write their names in the history books and become World Cup champions when they play at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The game will be broadcast on FOX.
Argentina has the opportunity to become the first back-to-back World Cup winners since Brazil did so in 1958 and 1962, and only the third country to win back-to-back titles overall. Italy won back-to-back World Cups for the first time in 1934 and 1938.
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Argentina’s Lionel Messi (left) smiles during the World Cup semi-final match against England in Atlanta, Georgia, July 15, 2026. Spain’s Lamin Yamal (right) reacts during warm-ups before the World Cup round of 16 match against Portugal in Arlington, Texas, July 6, 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP Photo; Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)
However, for a long time in Argentina’s semi-final match against England, it seemed that they would not have a chance to make history. The Three Lions kept Argentina off the scoresheet for 85 minutes but Lionel Messi pulled off another impressive come-from-behind victory.
Anthony Gordon started the scoring when he tapped in Morgan Rogers’ cross to put England on the board first in the 55th minute with an acrobatic finish. Harry Kane sparked a counter-attack with a long pass that threw the Argentine defense into disarray for the first time all game.
However, this would ultimately be the only real scoring opportunity of the game for the Three Lions. Once England got on the board, Argentina’s pressure was relentless, but England were able to hold off Argentina’s attack for about 30 minutes.
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Enzo Fernandez of Argentina celebrates his goal during the FIFA World Cup semi-final match against England on July 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Image/Getty Images)
They finally broke through when Messi set up Enzo Fernandez just outside the box and the 25-year-old fired a shot past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and into the back of the net to knot the score at 1-1.
Lautaro Martinez then played the hero coming off the bench and made Argentine football history by scoring the game-winning goal. In the 92nd minute, Messi recorded his second assist after collecting a loose ball and delivering a beautiful pass into the box where an unmarked Martinez waited. Martinez headed the ball past Pickford, sending the Argentine fans into a frenzy as they completed their comeback.
It was not Argentina’s first remarkable comeback to claim the title. In the round of 16 they scored three goals in 13 minutes to erase a 2-0 second-half deficit to Egypt and keep their World Cup hopes alive.
In Spain’s case, their victory was not quite as dramatic, but it was still surprisingly dominant.
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Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain celebrates taking a penalty to score his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup semi-final match against France at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Lars Baron/Getty Images)
They shut out their opponents in six of seven matches and conceded just one goal throughout the tournament. Belgium was the only country to beat Spain, but the Spaniards beat Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
Against France in the semi-finals, Spain took advantage of an early mistake and never looked back.
Veteran French defender Lucas Digne misjudged the ball and cleared his cross, but instead struck Lamin Yamal, committing a foul and giving Spain a penalty in the 22nd minute.
Mikel Oyarzabal came on for Spain and converted the penalty, giving Spain a lead they would not relinquish.
Pedro Porro doubled Spain’s lead in the 58th minute when he broke through the French defense and found the back of the net after beating France goalkeeper Mike Maignan with a crisp pass from Dani Olmo.
The French tried desperately to get back into the game, but the Spanish defense was too strong for them to break through and they held on for victory.
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Pedro Porro of Spain celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the FIFA World Cup semi-final match against France at Dallas Stadium on July 14, 2026. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
How to watch
When: Sunday, July 19, 2026
Where: New York/New Jersey Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
TV: FOX
Broadcast: Watch on FOX One and FOX Sports.
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Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant at Fox News Digital.