Argentina will play Spain in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, on Sunday after staging a stunning comeback to beat England.It makes it back-to-back finals for the best player in the sport, Lionel Messi, who won his first in Qatar in 2022, and a first appearance for Spain’s prodigy Lamine Yamal.The two have never faced each other before on the pitch — though they did meet in this remarkable photo when Yamal was a baby.Individual awards will also be decided after the final, including the Golden Ball for best player, Golden Glove for best goalkeeper and Golden Boot for top goalscorer. Messi currently heads that one with eight goals (and now four assists, which is used in a tiebreak).Kylian Mbappe is second on eight goals and three assists, with Erling Haaland, whose Norway side was eliminated, on seven goals and Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, who could yet play against Mbappe in the bronze medal game on Saturday, on six.We asked our writers who will win the final and the main individual awards. This is what they said.Who will win the World Cup final and why?Phil Hay: Spain. They’re oozing confidence, almost as if they’ve known (or believed) for a while that they’re going to win the tournament. While everybody was talking about France, Spain were quietly gathering steam and finding a rhythm. They’re strong in each position, they’re in form in each position, Luis de la Fuente has the ideal tactical plan for them and they’ve proven that they can do it in a major final.Carl Anka: Spain. They took a while to warm up (that 0-0 draw with Cape Verde becomes more fascinating with hindsight), but they’ve hit top stride at the best moment. Rodri looks back at his imperious self. Lamine Yamal isn’t offering the attacking output many predicted before the tournament, but he’s such a potent threat that he cannot be ignored. It’s not quite “Death by 1000” passes from Spain 2010-12, but they use the ball better than anyone else, keeping opponents starved of possession until morale is shattered.Seb Stafford-Bloor: Spain. Argentina capitalised on England’s early tactical retreat in the semi-final, but also profited from making that game emotional and fraught. Does that work against Spain? We’ve yet to see any evidence that it will.Dermot Corrigan: After watching how Spain completely outclassed France in the first semi-final, it was impossible to back against them (especially from here in Madrid). Argentina’s latest comeback against England then made me think twice, but Spain also give a real sense of a team on a mission, who are calmly and confidently dealing with every challenge they face.Henry Bushnell: Spain. We haven’t seen an international football team this in-sync, organised and collectively sharp in a long time. The way they manipulated Tuesday’s semi-final to their liking and read every French attacking intention before it could become dangerous was awe-inspiring. There’s no reason to think Sunday will be any different. I actually think it could be rather one-sided.Will Spain be lifting another trophy after winning Euro 2024 (Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images)Lukas Weese: For the sake of being different, I’ll go with Argentina. Yes, Spain just had a performance for the ages, stifling France. Yes, Spain has only conceded one goal at this World Cup, a monumental achievement. But something feels “team of destiny” about Argentina with all their comebacks this tournament as they try to win back-to-back World Cups. Regardless, I hope we get a fantastic final.Stu James: Spain. I feel like a fraud saying that with total conviction — because I was saying France with total conviction right up until the semi-final. Then again, I did say that the biggest threat to France was France themselves, which tallies with Rayan Cherki’s scathing assessment on the back of the Spain defeat.Anyway, that was such a complete Spain performance against France; they’re not dependent on individuals. In fact, they’ve gotten this far without their star player, Lamine Yamal, playing at his best. Argentina’s resilience is incredible, and anything is possible with Messi, but I just think that Spain will be too good for them.Paul Tenorio: Argentina. Yes, Spain look like the best team in this tournament, but there is something about this Argentina team and how much it means to them. The belief in the team, the fight… and then Messi. I’m not picking against them right now. They’re playing for Messi’s legacy; they’ll have the ‘home field’ advantage and the way they won this game over England. It’ll lead to their best performance in the final.Are these the best two teams in the world?Phil Hay: There or thereabouts, but I don’t think one bad night for France against Spain changes the fact that they’re as good as anybody (and the best of the best on their day). The meeting between France and Spain felt a little like the final before the final, even though holders Argentina were in semi-final two. But there’s no question that the strongest four countries made the last four, which was what FIFA wanted.Seb Stafford-Bloor: Probably not. Spain against France ultimately ended up being lopsided, but on the basis of their bodies of work across the tournament as a whole, they are probably one and two. Argentina seem to be operating independently of rankings or perception. England should have beaten them. Egypt might have done so, too. And yet because of this compelling energy they’re playing with, they are perpetually brittle while also, somehow, a match for anyone. I don’t know how to evaluate that properly.Dermot Corrigan: Results are what count in football, and both teams have come through difficult challenges at different moments and kept it all together to reach the decider. Having said that, some in Spain have drawn a parallel to 2010, when La Roja’s highest-level opponent on the way to winning their first World Cup was Germany, their semi-final opponent, not the Netherlands, their rival in the final. As Phil says, France have such a powerful squad, and will have huge regrets about their performance on Tuesday.Mbappe and France were eliminated in the semifinals (Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP via Getty Images)Carl Anka: France 2026 will join Argentina 2006, Netherlands 1998 and Brazil 1982 as great World Cup teams who failed to reach the Final. The manner in which Spain dismantled them means they deserve to be finalists. England v Argentina was a rock fight. The strongest survived, as they had done throughout their knockout matches. These are the two teams that take care of the ball the best at the World Cup. That’s why they’re in the final.