The 2026 World Cup Final is here at last, with Spain and Argentina preparing to lock horns.
As if the occasion at MetLife Stadium wasn’t mouthwatering enough, it’s the first time that the European champions and Copa America holders have met in a World Cup final, only adding to the intrigue.
It’s the craft of 2010 winners Spain against the tenacity and never-say-die attitude of holders Argentina. And while Luis de la Fuente and Lionel Scaloni will be doing their utmost to equip their sides with the best tactical plans, finals are won by big moments from big players.
With that in mind, here are two players from each side who will be key in this Final, as well as Spain and Argentina’s wildcards.
Spain vs Argentina: World Cup Final key players
1. Lamine Yamal
We’ll be kicking off with the obvious candidates for both sides. For Spain, that is, of course, Lamine Yamal.
At a cursory glance, you could accuse Yamal of having a poor World Cup. After all, he has just one goal and no assists to his name in seven appearances so far, with that sole strike coming against a Saudi Arabia side ranked 61st in the world in a 4-0 win.
However, anyone who has watched Spain knows how much they suffered in the first 71 minutes without him against Cape Verde, and how much better they’ve been since.
Yamal is second at this World Cup for take-ons completed per 90 minutes (4.0) among players who have clocked at least three matches, and first for touches in the opposition box (9.27). He’s also fifth for shots attempted (4.18) and among the top performers in a host of other key metrics, including possessions won in the final third and non-penalty xG.
All this from a 19-year-old. Yamal is all-action on both sides of the ball, and given Argentina’s apparent weakness at full-back, the Final could yield the standout moment this dynamic teenager has been waiting for.
2. Lionel Messi
There really is no other place to start for Argentina — or in World Cup history, quite frankly — than Lionel Messi,
That photoshoot of Messi and a very young Yamal has been doing the rounds in the last few days, and it very much feels like the GOAT’s last opportunity to show the young pretender who remains the boss.
In reality, he’s already done that at this tournament. Messi is primed for the Golden Boot with eight goals so far, and sits second only to Michael Olise (5) for assists (4). His 12 direct goal involvements are a tournament-high and barely even come close to illustrating how much he’s dragged the defending champions to another Final.
Messi opened his World Cup campaign with a hat-trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria. Since then, he’s netted vital strikes against Cape Verde and Egypt, before turning creator with three assists across the quarter-finals and semi-finals combined, including two in Argentina’s 2-1 comeback win over England.
The list of metrics Messi tops for Argentina in North America is vast, but just to drive home his irreplaceable importance, here is a selection: Goals, assists, shots, chances created, take-ons completed, possessions won in the attacking third, through-balls completed, crosses completed, xG, xA.
If Messi shows up one more time, Spain may just be powerless to stop the World Cup trophy heading back to Buenos Aires. That would mark the end of an incredible journey in this tournament for a player who has become the record goalscorer and, possibly, a back-to-back winner.
3. Rodri
If Spain are to lift the World Cup for a second time, their midfield will be the driving force. So, it goes without saying that La Roja’s chances in this Final could be utterly dependent on how Rodri performs.
On both sides of the ball, the Manchester City star has been absolutely crucial for Spain once again, just as he was two years ago at the European Championships.
Rodri is first among De la Fuente’s side for touches (794), passes completed (655) and final third passes completed (173). But far from simply recycling possession and getting Spain from A to B, the 30-year-old is also second among his teammates for chances created (9) and fourth for passes into the opposition penalty area (11).
Of course, we all know Rodri is equally as effective at winning the ball back as he is distributing it. To that end, the former Atletico Madrid man is once again first among Spaniards for tackles (22) and possessions won in the middle third (21), first among outfield players for ball recoveries (34), and third for aerial duels won (11).
While doing a severe amount of damage in the right half-space, Messi has also caused havoc at this tournament by dropping between the lines centrally. Rodri is the perfect player to restrict the space here, giving Spain one less problem to worry about.
He will also be the man De la Fuente entrusts with breaking the relentless Argentine press and leading Spain as they seek to circumvent the gamesmanship and aggression we’ve seen from the South Americans throughout the tournament.
4. Enzo Fernandez
If there’s anyone who can put Rodri off his stride for Argentina, it’s Enzo Fernandez.
The Chelsea midfielder has certainly made his presence felt in an attacking sense at this tournament, scoring a stoppage-time winner against Egypt and the equaliser against England. Rodri certainly won’t want to leave him in space as the Three Lions did in the latter.
But perhaps his biggest task on Sunday will be shutting Rodri down and restricting Spain’s ability to play through the thirds. Expect Scaloni to use him as an aggressive pressing trigger, jumping onto Rodri’s blind side the very second he receives possession from his centre-backs to force turnovers or commit tactical fouls before the Spaniard can open his body to scan the pitch.
It’s not always clean from Fernandez. In fact, Argentina often count on it not being clean, and Fernandez is first among La Albiceleste players with 270+ minutes for fouls committed (9). He’s also second for possessions won in the middle third (13) and defensive third (13), and first among outfield players for ball recoveries (27).
Fernandez has operated as Argentina’s most advanced midfielder throughout this tournament. So, while everybody is focused on Messi and Yamal, the direct battle between Rodri and Fernandez could be the one that decides the 2026 World Cup Final.
Spain wildcard: Mikel Oyarzabal
Remember before a ball was kicked, when everyone wrote Spain off because they apparently lacked a striker good enough to carry them through a World Cup? Well, fast-forward to the Final, and Mikel Oyarzabal has five goals to his name, with only five players scoring more.
Oyarzabal bagged braces against Saudi Arabia in the group stage and Austria in the round of 32 — also registering an assist in the former. But his most important strike was from the spot to open the scoring in the 22nd minute of the semi-final win over France.
More than just a goalscorer, Oyarzabal has called upon his considerable experience playing in No.10 and wide roles across his career. The Real Sociedad man ranks in the top seven among World Cup strikers for passes completed (115) and touches (224), while his heat map shows him dropping into midfield to link play with regularity in typical Spanish style.
Argentina would be wise not to put all of their defensive focus on Yamal, with Oyarzabal Spain’s biggest threat at this tournament.
Argentina wildcard: Lautaro Martinez
Given his formidable record for Inter, Lautaro Martinez would walk into almost every other team at this World Cup. But this Argentina side is built solely to get the best out of Messi, so his partner up front has, for the most part, been the industrious Julian Alvarez.
However, that hasn’t stopped Martinez from making a massive impact at this tournament. In just 311 minutes, the striker has bagged three goals, scoring against Jordan in the group stage, then getting the clincher against Switzerland in the quarter-finals, and the last-gasp winner against England in the semi-finals. All that, and he also provided the assist for Enzo Fernandez’s 92nd-minute winner in that remarkable 3-2 comeback against Egypt in the last 16.
Martinez is a ruthless finisher and a nightmare for centre-backs with his physicality. He will offer Argentina the perfect Plan B against Spain and will fancy his chances of making one last impact at this tournament to secure legendary status in his homeland.
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