What makes 2026 World Cup final between Argentina, Spain historic

Argentina's Lionel Messi. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters

What makes 2026 World Cup final between Argentina, Spain historic

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Jul 15, 2026 6:38 PM ET

Thanks to another stunning rally in the closing minutes on Wednesday, Argentina punched its ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final with a 2-1 win over England. That win sets the stage for what should be an incredible match with Spain on Sunday.

Given the standing of both teams coming into the tournament, it is also set to be an historic championship match.

Argentina and Spain are the top teams in FIFA

The 2026 World Cup, in a lot of ways, followed the chalk through to the semifinals as the four teams that played this week were all among the top-four teams in the FIFA rankings.

Argentina and Spain were ranked No. 1 and 2.

With both of them advancing to the final, it will be the first time the top two teams are meeting in the championship since FIFA started ranking teams back in 1992.

It is also the first time the World Cup Final will feature the reigning European (Euro) and South American (Copa América) champions in the final match.

The top two teams — No. 1 Argentina and No. 2 Spain — will meet in the men's World Cup final for the first time since FIFA instated rankings in 1992.

It's also the first World Cup final between the reigning champions of Europe (EURO) and South America (Copa América) pic.twitter.com/dkn3QPqgbG
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) July 15, 2026

It can sometimes be boring for a tournament to follow the chalk as closely as this one did deep into it, but it does at least deliver on giving soccer fans world-class talent and the two teams that have clearly demonstrated themselves to be the best two teams in the world.

Argentina is going for its fourth men's World Cup championship, while also looking to become the first men's team to repeat as champions since Brazil won consecutive championships in 1958 and 1962.

Argentina won the 2022 World Cup over Croatia on penalty kicks.

Spain is looking to win its second men's World Cup, having previously won in 2010.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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