“Lamine Yamal” & “Pau Gabarra”: Two 19-year-old teenagers with the opportunity to match records set by Brazilian legend Pele, Italian defensive icon Giuseppe Bergomi, and French striker Kylian Mbappe.
Looking back, three teenage players have won the World Cup: Pele in 1958, Giuseppe Bergomi in 1982, and Kylian Mbappe in 2018. Now, Lamine Yamal and Pau Gabarra are about to break the record for most World Cup appearances before age 20, currently held by Mbappe with seven matches.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is aiming to set several records in the 2026 World Cup final: becoming the oldest outfield player in a final at 39 years and 25 days old, the first player to start in three World Cup finals, and achieving the remarkable feat of contributing to goals in 11 consecutive World Cup matches in this tournament.
The two teams have met 14 times, each winning six matches with two draws. Their most recent meeting was a 6-1 win for Spain in 2018, while Argentina won 4-1 in 2010. Of these 14 encounters, only one was an official competition—the 1966 World Cup. The rest were friendlies, including matches in the Copa Hispanidad during the 1970s.
Historically, Argentina dominated the early meetings, winning four of the first five matches with clean sheets in 1952, 1953, and 1960. Spain had to wait until 1961 to record their first victory over Argentina in a friendly match.
A significant turning point came in the 1966 World Cup, the only official meeting before now, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. Argentina defeated Spain 2-1 thanks to two second-half goals by Luis Artime.
Entering the 21st century, Spain regained the upper hand, winning three of the last four meetings. However, Argentina dealt a heavy blow by defeating world champions Spain 4-1 in a 2010 friendly, with Lionel Messi scoring the opener and Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez, and Sergio Aguero adding to the memorable victory for the Albiceleste.
Spain fully avenged that loss in 2018 with a dominant 6-1 victory, highlighted by Isco’s hat-trick, leading La Roja to a comprehensive win. This rivalry’s intensity and history explain why this upcoming match is especially significant.
All these past encounters form only a historical backdrop, but what excites fans worldwide is that the two teams are about to meet on the biggest stage yet. This will be the first World Cup knockout stage meeting between Spain and Argentina, and it will be the World Cup final.
Moreover, the last time these two teams met in the World Cup was 60 years ago, so none of the current players or staff have ever experienced facing each other in this tournament. Even Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni was not born then, and Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente was only five years old.
The 60-year World Cup gap and their closely matched historical records mean this final is not only for the world championship but also to decide who will hold historical superiority in this rivalry for years to come.