Spain vs. Argentina: What you need to know about the teams, players and final records of the World Cup

As Spain again In Argentina enter the men's of 2026 World Cup final At MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, football fans are already feeling heartache, pure joy and pure joy the argument during the historic 39-day tournament.

Forty-eight nations competed in the biggest FIFA World Cup in history and with two remaining, Spain seeking their second World Cup title and Argentina qualifying for the tournaments in a row.

“Spain came into this tournament as the favorite,” Paul Tenorio of The Athletic told CBS News. “This is a team that has gone 37 games without losing and entering the finals. But on the other hand, he said, “Argentina is Argentina. They have won three international tournaments in a row going into this World Cup, and they have done it with the best player of all time, [Lionel] Messi to be kind to the heartbeat of the group. You can see that the Argentine players are playing for Messi.”

Here's what you need to know about the final World Cup teams, players and their records so far:

Spain is looking for its 2nd World Cup title

Despite being one of the top teams in Europe, the first and only La Roja lifted the World Cup trophy on July 11, 2010, in Johannesburg, South Africa, after the Spanish team defeated the Netherlands 1-0.

Spain are one of only two teams to have lost their World Cup opener and gone on to win the title – the other, ironically, being Argentina. It is also the first European country to win a World Cup played outside of Europe.

Apart from the popularity of Gerard PiquéSergio Ramos and Iker CasillasSpain's squad for the 2026 World Cup marks the passing of the torch to a new generation.

Coach Luis de la Fuente took charge of the Spanish national team after Luis Enrique stepped down following Spain's exit from the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

De la Fuente selected several young players in his World Cup squad, including 19-year-old Pau Cubarsi and 21-year-old Dean Huijsen, some of whom he worked with during his time in charge of the U-19s and U-21s.

When he was only 19 years old, Lamine Yamal became one of the stars of Spain. Help lead the team to 2024 Euro titleand Spain's World Cup squad includes 15 other players from the Euro roster.

“I think I have high expectations,” Yamal told CBS News' Jon Wertheim in a “60 Minutes” interview last year. “I think for a long time Spain has been a tough contender to win the World Cup. I can see that the country is happy. I am very happy…. I feel happy. I am looking forward to it, and I will enjoy it very much.”

Spain enter the final on a 37-game unbeaten run in regulation time, matching Italy's world record.

In their seven World Cup matches before the final, Spain have conceded only one goal, against Belgium (2-1) in its quarterfinals. Goalkeeper Unai Simón had kept a clean sheet for 650 minutes, the longest clean sheet in the competition.

Another player to watch is 29-year-old Mikel Oyarzabal, who has scored five goals since the start of the World Cup and equaled David Villa's record for most goals scored by a Spanish player in one tournament.

Oyarzabal and Yamal are neck and neck in their World Cup scoring attempts, 22 and 23 attempts respectively. But Spain's defense has a lot of work to do for Argentina's Lionel Messi.

Consecutive World Cup victories in a row for Argentina

Coming into the World Cup as defending champions, La Albiceleste are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Brazil achieved the feat in 1958 and 1962. Another country that has done this is Italy in 1934 and 1938.

With Messi leading the way, Argentina's victory over France in the World Cup final in Qatar gave the team a third title and ended a 36-year drought.

In this year's competition, Messi continued to strengthen his legacy by being the leading scorer in men's World Cup history. The 39-year-old has scored 21 goals in six World Cups, and is currently tied with Kylian Mbappé as the tournament's top scorer with eight goals. The number 10 also has the most attempts on goal, 34, in the competition.

Messi holds the record for most FIFA World Cup appearances, with 32 appearances. He is one of only two players, the other being Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal, to play in six World Cups.

Another player to watch is Enzo Fernandez. In 2022, the then 21-year-old became the youngest Argentine to score a goal for Argentina at the World Cup since Messi, who was 18 at the time. Of semi-final against EnglandFernandez scored a superb equalizer past Messi.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has left out nine players from the 2022 squad and added several new faces who can help support Messi while protecting the defensive line, including Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.

It was Martinez who headed in the goal that Messi had bent in the semi-final game that made Argentina win the title they needed to advance to the final. Argentina is playing in the World Cup finals for the seventh time.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world, known for his disruptive tactics and intimidating opponents, and he returned to the World Cup finals as a Golden Glove winner. Martinez is also the only goalkeeper to win the FIFA Best Goalkeeper twice, in 2022 and 2024.