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The World Cup last is yet here. Lionel Messi — the astir prolific extremity scorer successful the tournament’s past — and defending champion Argentina volition instrumentality connected Spain’s antiaircraft juggernaut connected Sunday successful East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Follow on for cardinal moments, investigation and highlights.
Trump says it’s ‘hard to stake against Messi’
In an interrogation with Fox, President Donald Trump was asked to foretell a victor betwixt Spain and Argentina. He hedged connected that, but seemed enamored with Argentina prima Lionel Messi.
“I would accidental it’s hard to stake against Messi,” Trump said, noting Messi’s assistance connected Argentina’s winning extremity successful the semifinal against England.
“The walk was precisely perfect,” Trump said. “I won’t prime sides … It’s conscionable hard to stake against Messi.”
Spain embraces its ‘And wherefore not?’ motto
Entering the World Cup last against Argentina, Spain’s shot federation has released motivational videos connected societal media promoting the motto “¿Y por qué no?” -- “And wherefore not?”
The operation refers to the reply fixed by defender Aymeric Laporte aft a newsman asked him during the 2022 World Cup whether Spain could triumph the tournament.
The federation released a video with players who helped Spain triumph the World Cup successful 2010 each saying the operation repeatedly. Another video mentions the motto portion showing radical wearing Spain’s jersey astir New York to the bushed of the opus “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys.
New Jersey politician has nary plans to conscionable with Trump
Democratic New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she does not expect to conscionable with President Donald Trump during the World Cup final. But she stressed that officials person a “really great” program to get the Republican president successful and retired of MetLife Stadium with arsenic small disruption to fans arsenic possible.
“It’s similar the wedding is present aft you’ve had household successful municipality for a week,” she said astir the anticipation for the game. “We’re excited, but besides looking guardant to immoderate bid erstwhile they leave.”
Sherrill said she’s rooting for Argentina and adjacent she tried her manus astatine Spanish, saying it’s amended than it was a fewer months agone but that it needed much work.
“Or thing similar that,” the politician said successful English aft tripping done her Spanish.
Former Spain subordinate Capdevila allowed into US to ticker the final
Former Spain defender Joan Capdevila has made it to the United States to ticker the World Cup last aft being denied authorization to question a decennary aft playing successful an accumulation crippled successful Iran.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said successful an email to The Associated Press that it received a petition to let Capdevila into the country. It said it reviewed the petition and Capdevila arrived successful the U.S. connected Sunday.
Capdevila had addressed President Donald Trump successful a societal media post, saying his exertion for visa-free introduction was denied. He besides sent a connection to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and tagged the Spanish government’s ministry of athletics successful his post.
In 2010, Capdevila helped Spain triumph its lone World Cup title, starting successful the last against the Netherlands. He was besides portion of the squad that won the 2008 European Championship.
Hundreds stitchery astatine Buenos Aires instrumentality fest
As rainfall fell successful Buenos Aires astatine midday, hundreds of Argentines gathered up of the World Cup last betwixt Argentina and Spain.
At the FIFA Fan Festival successful Plaza Francisco Seeber, songs by Argentine popular groups Bandana and Miranda! played implicit loudspeakers. Fans waved Argentine flags, painted their faces successful the nation’s bluish and achromatic colors, and lined up aboriginal to unafraid a spot successful beforehand of the elephantine surface that volition broadcast the match.
“People are happy. It’s raining, but radical are present together; with friends, with strangers, with foreigners,” said Franco Pavalo, 21.
Shin Truong, 20, said the last carries greater value due to the fact that it’s expected to beryllium the past World Cup quality for 39-year-old Lionel Messi.
“He’s mythical,” Truong said. “We couldn’t inquire for thing much from him.”
Fans successful Spain stitchery astir large screens and wrong Madrid arena
Big screens person been acceptable up crossed Spanish cities for the World Cup final, with 20,000 radical expected astatine the 1 installed astatine Plaza Colon successful Madrid. About 15,000 fans were expected astatine the Madrid Rio location.
Similar viewing areas were acceptable up successful Barcelona and different cities. Fans successful Madrid volition besides beryllium capable to ticker the lucifer astatine the Movistar Arena, wherever immoderate 15,000 radical were expected. Tickets were sold retired successful advance.
Excitement builds successful Buenos Aires
Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, was astatine a adjacent standstill Sunday morning.
Streets were adorned with blue-and-white flags. Cars were honking, announcing the accomplishment of the World Cup last betwixt Argentina and Spain. Businesses were closed, arsenic were museums, theaters and cinemas. Bars opened early.
It’s wintertime successful the Southern Hemisphere, but fans gathered successful the chilly upwind and rainfall successful parks and plazas astir the city. Street vendors blew integrative horns and hawked jerseys and umbrellas with the sanction of superstar Lionel Messi.
Americans are inactive tuning into the World Cup contempt the US team’s elimination
Even aft the Americans were eliminated successful the circular of 16 against Belgium, viewership has remained beardown successful the U.S.
The lucifer betwixt England and Mexico was the most-watched World Cup crippled not involving the U.S. broadcast successful English successful the country’s history, according to Fox. The web said an mean of much than 21.7 cardinal tuned successful to ticker England’s 3-2 triumph successful Mexico City connected July 5.
The 2022 World Cup last — which was successful Qatar — was viewed by a then-record 16.7 million.
Storms trim choking hazards for players and fans
Meteorologists accidental the thunderstorms that passed done the New Jersey country should wide retired the fume from Canadian wildfires that near a haze implicit the Northeast U.S. for respective days.
While experts accidental determination could beryllium immoderate lingering fume to marque things a spot hazy Sunday, it volition apt beryllium faint and not origin the mediocre aerial prime warnings issued successful caller days.
Temperatures are forecast to beryllium astir 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius), with airy breezes and debased humidity for the commencement of the final.
The World Cup last volition beryllium played connected turf with mixed reviews. Rain mightiness help
Players and coaches person fielded a batch of questions astir the transportation successful East Rutherford, New Jersey, earlier and aft World Cup games there. Opinions person varied.
Brazil’s Vinicius Junior was not a fan. France manager Didier Deschamps called it peculiar — and not successful a bully way. Norway’s Ståle Solbakken was asked respective times astir the aboveground earlier coaching his archetypal crippled connected it and came distant much pleased astir it than helium expected.
While wholly antithetic than the turf aboveground astatine the stadium that has been maligned by NFL players, the writer tract with synthetic fibers stitched successful to trim the hazard of divots and tears has drawn mixed reviews done the archetypal 7 games of the tourney there. After a astir two-week interruption for unit to get it successful the champion information possible, the astir important crippled takes spot determination Sunday erstwhile Argentina and Spain conscionable successful the final.
Neither squad has played astatine the Meadowlands stadium yet, adding different constituent of uncertainty to the matchup.
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Lionel Messi erstwhile held babe Lamine Yamal successful his arms. Now they volition conflict for the World Cup title
Almost 2 decades ago, lensman Joan Monfort didn’t deliberation overmuch of his photograph sprout of a teenage Lionel Messi bathing a cute babe lad successful a integrative bathtub. Not until the singular twist of destiny became wide years later, erstwhile that babe blossomed into Lamine Yamal.
Now those images of the long-haired Messi, his hands covered successful soap suds arsenic if anointing Yamal arsenic soccer’s Next Big Thing, person go the astir talked astir — and gawked astir — successful the runup to Sunday’s World Cup final, erstwhile Messi’s Argentina volition play Yamal’s Spain for the biggest trophy successful the sport.
“I person ne'er been a believer oregon thought that thing was destined to occur, but I americium opening to person my doubts. This is beyond each tenable explanations,” Monfort told The Associated Press from his location successful Barcelona connected Friday.
Monfort, who works arsenic a freelance photojournalist for the AP, took the photos successful 2007 arsenic portion of a foundation calendar produced by section paper Sport and UNICEF.
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Biggest World Cup besides means biggest cookware of prize money
The tourney grew from 32 teams to 48 for the 2026 World Cup and the prize wealth deed grounds amounts arsenic well.
FIFA says the victor of the Argentina-Spain last volition person $51 million. That’s up from the $42 cardinal paid to Argentina for winning the 2022 tourney successful Qatar.
The runner-up volition get $34 million.
The full prize excavation for the tourney staged successful the United States, Mexico and Canada is $871 million, up from $440 cardinal successful 2022.
All 48 teams were guaranteed astatine slightest $12.5 million.
Messi and Argentina volition look Yamal and Spain for the title
The champion offense. The champion defense.
The World Cup last volition beryllium a clash of styles. Lionel Messi — the astir prolific extremity scorer successful the tournament’s past — and defending champion Argentina volition instrumentality connected Spain’s antiaircraft juggernaut connected Sunday successful East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Spain bushed France successful 1 semifinal connected Tuesday; Argentina, the comeback king of this tournament, rallied to bushed England 2-1 successful the different semifinal connected Wednesday.
Argentina is seeking its 4th rubric and is looking to go the archetypal back-to-back World Cup champion since Brazil pulled disconnected the feat successful 1958 and 1962. Spain is looking for its 2nd title, aft winning successful 2010.
Something volition person to springiness connected Sunday, erstwhile the biggest World Cup ever — a 48-team, 104-match extravaganza dispersed retired implicit the U.S., Canada and Mexico — comes to an end.
It’s not Finalissima. It’s going to beryllium better.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.
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