Spain and Argentina's World Cup trophy count before 2026 final

10 hours ago 7

When Spain and Argentina look disconnected Sunday successful the World Cup final astatine MetLife Stadium successful New Jersey, it volition people conscionable the second meeting betwixt the 2 sides successful the tournament's history, and their archetypal successful 60 years.

They are among just 8 nations to person ever lifted a World Cup trophy successful the tournament's 96-year history.

The defending champions, Argentina, are looking to go the archetypal state to triumph back-to-back World Cup titles since Brazil did truthful successful 1958 and 1962, portion the flimsy favourite Spain is hoping to gain their 2nd rubric ever.

Their erstwhile sole meeting prior to Sunday was successful the radical signifier of the 1966 World Cup. Argentina defeated Spain 2-1 and made it arsenic acold arsenic the quarterfinals earlier being eliminated by the hosts and eventual champions England. Spain did not marque it retired of the radical stage.

Soccer - World Cup England 1966 - Group Two - Spain v Argentina - Villa Park

How galore World Cups has Argentina won?

La Albiceleste, a perennial contender, has won the World Cup connected 3 occasions, but it has reached the last 7 times.

Its archetypal rubric came successful 1978 connected its location ungraded arsenic host. At the time, the tourney consisted of lone 16 nations and utilized a unsocial and somewhat convoluted format successful which determination was nary knockout stage, and 2 teams precocious straight to the last aft topping the 2nd of 2 consecutive radical stages.

This led to 1 of the astir notorious results successful World Cup history. To scope the final, Argentina needed to decision Peru by a four-goal borderline successful its last radical match, which it accomplished successful a singular 6-0 rout. It past went connected to decision the Netherlands 3-1 successful overtime successful Buenos Aires successful the final.

However, its lucifer against Peru was shrouded successful contention implicit allegations that Argentina's ruling dictator astatine the time, Jorge Rafael Videla, had entered Peru's locker room anterior to the lucifer and delivered veiled threats to the Peruvian players.

Argentina's 2nd and arguably astir celebrated rubric came successful the 1986 World Cup successful Mexico. Led by iconic diminutive striker Diego Maradona, Argentina defeated West Germany 3-2 successful the final.

But it was its quarterfinal lucifer with hated rival England that volition unrecorded successful infamy, a matchup that came conscionable 4 years removed from the bloody Falklands War betwixt the 2 countries.

With the crippled scoreless aboriginal successful the 2nd half, Maradona leaped precocious for a shot successful the punishment container with English goalkeeper Peter Shilton, intelligibly knocking it past Shilton and into the extremity with his near forearm. The referee someway missed what was an evident handball, giving Argentina a 1-0 lead.

Argentina went connected to triumph the lucifer 2-1 acknowledgment to a spectacular 2nd extremity from Maradona. But asked by reporters aft the crippled astir his handball, Maradona famously quipped, "A small with the caput of Maradona and a small with the manus of God."

Argentina has repeatedly proved to beryllium a thorn successful England's side, eliminating the Three Lions from the 1998 World Cup successful the circular of 16 successful a punishment shootout during which England's David Beckham was shown a reddish card, and past again successful melodramatic manner in Wednesday's semifinal, erstwhile Maradona's heir apparent, the 39-year-old wonderment Lionel Messi, rallied Argentina to a 2-1 comeback triumph successful stoppage clip to thwart England's World Cup dreams.

Argentina's 3rd rubric came successful Qatar successful 2022 and marked a long-awaited coronation for Messi, who up to that constituent had achieved each imaginable accolade but occurrence successful planetary football. In that tournament, Argentina became conscionable the 2nd squad ever to triumph a World Cup aft losing its archetypal crippled of the radical stage, erstwhile it was shocked by Saudi Arabia 2-1, 1 of the biggest upsets successful World Cup history. The lone different squad to bash the aforesaid was, ironically, Spain, successful 2010.

In what is wide considered the top World Cup last ever played, Argentina defeated France successful a punishment shootout aft drafting 3-3 successful regularisation successful a breathtaking back-and-forth matter that saw French striker Kylian Mbappé people a chapeau trick, and Messi slot distant 2 goals.

If Argentina were to triumph its 4th rubric Sunday, it would determination into a necktie with Germany and Italy for 2nd all-time, and conscionable 1 down person Brazil, which has five.

How galore World Cups has Spain won?

La Roja won the 2010 World Cup successful South Africa, which was besides its lone different finals quality earlier Sunday. However, Spain has been consistently coagulated for decades, qualifying for the past 13 consecutive World Cups dating backmost to 1978. Prior to its 2010 title, it had not precocious further than the quarterfinals.

Spain experienced a shot renaissance opening successful the mid-2000s, spoiled with an embarrassment of riches by the likes of Gerard Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, David Villa and Sergio Busquets. Spain's World Cup rubric was besides sandwiched betwixt back-to-back European Championship titles successful 2008 and 2012, marking 1 of the top stretches successful planetary shot history.

As such, Spain's existent squad — featuring teen phenom Lamine Yamal and 2024 Ballon d'Or victor Rodri — is often referred to arsenic the 2nd aureate generation.

Just similar eventual champion Argentina aboriginal did successful 2022, Spain opened its 2010 tourney with a 1-0 upset nonaccomplishment to an inferior Switzerland team.

Spain made it retired of the radical signifier with victories implicit Honduras and Chile. Then successful the knockout rounds, it won each lucifer by a 1-0 scoreline, dispatching Portugal, Paraguay and Germany.

In the final, Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0 acknowledgment to a 117th-minute extra-time extremity from Iniesta.

Spain became the archetypal European squad to triumph a World Cup that was not hosted connected European soil.

The Messi-Yamal origin that makes Sunday's last truthful compelling

Sunday's last volition beryllium dripping with humanities storylines for the 2 shot powerhouses.

Foremost successful that section volition beryllium the much-anticipated gathering betwixt Messi and Yamal, the teen galore judge is the lone subordinate perchance worthy of 1 time taking the mantle from Messi arsenic the top of each time.

The Argentinian fable is successful the twilight of his career, and the ascending Spanish close winger is little than fractional his age, but the 2 person been inextricably linked for years.

The last volition people the archetypal clip that Messi and Yamal volition spell against 1 different connected a shot pitch.

Messi volition apt beryllium playing his last-ever World Cup lucifer Sunday successful what is his grounds sixth World Cup, 1 of lone 2 players to bash truthful with Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo. Yamal turned 19 conscionable past week and is successful his archetypal World Cup.

It's an bonzer full-circle infinitesimal for the pair, who person been connected since Yamal was a baby. In 2007, Messi cradled an babe Yamal successful his arms for photos arsenic portion of a foundation calendar portion with FC Barcelona, the nine Messi called location for 17 seasons, and which the young Yamal present stars for.

Speaking to "60 Minutes" past year, Yamal described Messi arsenic "the champion successful history."

"We some cognize I don't privation to beryllium Messi, and Messi knows I don't privation to beryllium him," Yamal said. "I privation to travel my ain path, and that's it."

In: