Spain’s forward Lamine Yamal runs with the ball during the 2026 World Cup Group H football match between Spain and Cape Verde at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on June 15, 2026. (Photo by Roberto SCHMIDT / AFP)
Lionel Messi will become the oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup final on Sunday as Spain’s Lamine Yamal seeks to join an elite group of teenage winners.
The match at the MetLife Stadium will be the first meeting between Argentina’s Messi and the player who has succeeded him as Barcelona’s new homegrown idol.
The only player to appear in a final at an older age than Messi is Dino Zoff, the Italy goalkeeper who was 40 in 1982.
Yamal, in sharp contrast, only turned 19 last Monday, the day before Spain beat France 2-0 in their semi-final.
