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July 19, 2026 / 5:15 AM EDT
/ CBS News
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As Spain and Argentina head into the 2026 men's World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, soccer fans have already experienced heartbreak, pure joy and controversy during the historic 39-day tournament. Forty-eight nations competed in the largest FIFA World Cup in history and two are left standing, with Spain in search of its second World Cup title and Argentina shooting for back-to-back championships."Spain came into the tournament as the favorite," Paul Tenorio of The Athletic told CBS News. "This is a team that now is riding a 37-game unbeaten streak going into the finals." But on the other side, he said, "Argentina is Argentina. They've won three consecutive international tournaments going into this World Cup, and they've done it with the best player of all time, [Lionel] Messi being kind of the heartbeat of the team. You can tell that the Argentina players are playing for Messi." Here's what to know about the World Cup final teams, players and their records so far: Spain looks for its 2nd World Cup title
