2026 World Cup: Spain vs. Argentina, the Official Lineups

The big day has arrived: Spain and Argentina are about to take the field at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, just a few kilometers from downtown New York, to kick off the 2026 World Cup final. La Roja is aiming to repeat its 2010 success with another generation of top-tier players, particularly in midfield, while the Albiceleste is seeking its fourth title (like Italy), its second in a row—as the Azzurri did in 1934 and 1938 and Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

Luis de la Fuente on one side and Lionel Scaloni on the other have finalized their official lineups just before kickoff: a 4-2-3-1 for the Spanish coach, who is relying on the precision of a midfield that has been flawless so far to create scoring opportunities, a 4-4-2 for the Argentine coach, who—compared to the match against England—has left out Paredes and Giuliano Simeone, relying instead on Nico González and Rodrigo de Paul in a formation designed to prioritize passing over physicality.

The two teams were originally scheduled to face off in a major event, the “Finalissima” (which pits the winners of the Copa América against the winners of the European Championship), initially set for 2025 and then postponed to March 2026. Difficulties in fitting the match into the extremely packed soccer calendar led CONMEBOL and UEFA to cancel the fixture, but fate would have it that the two national teams would clash in an even more important event.

Official Lineups

SPAIN (4-2-3-1): Unai Simon; Pedro Porro, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Fabian Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena; Oyarzabal. Head Coach: De la Fuente.

ARGENTINA (4-4-2): E. Martinez; Montiel, Romero, Li. Martinez, Tagliafico; De Paul, Mac Allister, Fernandez, Gonzalez; Messi, Alvarez. Head Coach: Scaloni.