Kathmandu. Argentina captain Lionel Messi will be looking for a chance to turn a painful 10-year anniversary into a happy ending when he takes on Spain in the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.
For Messi, the final is not just a match for world football’s biggest title, but also a return to bitter memories of a penalty shootout loss to Chile in the 2016 Copa America Centenario final. On the same field, he missed a penalty, shed tears on the bench and stunned world football by announcing his retirement from the national team.
“For me, the journey with the national team is over,” Messi said. I tried too hard,” he said, prompting a massive campaign in Argentina urging him to reconsider his decision.
Enzo Fernandez, a 15-year-old boy at the time, wrote an emotional message to Messi on social media. “Do whatever you want to do, but please stay in the team. He asked me to keep playing for fun.
A decade later, Fernandez is now not only a fan of Messi but also a key midfielder for Argentina, and is alongside him in a bid to win a second consecutive World Cup title. Lionel Scaloni-led Argentina beat England 2-1 in the semi-finals. Enzo Fernandez scored the equaliser and Lautaro Martinez scored the winner in stoppage time.
Argentina has won 14 consecutive matches, equalling the record for the longest consecutive win by a South American team. The team will be aiming to become the second country after Brazil in 1962 to win two consecutive World Cups.
Meanwhile, European champions Spain reached the final as the team with the strongest defense in the tournament. Coach Luis de la Fuente’s side have conceded just one goal in the tournament, becoming the first team in the history of the men’s World Cup to keep the most clean sheets in a single season.
After a goalless draw with Cape Verde in the first match of the group stage, Spain defeated Austria, Portugal, Belgium and France in six consecutive matches to reach the final. The team is unbeaten in 37 matches and is looking for a second World Cup title since 2010.
Argentina and Spain have played 14 matches so far, both have won 6-6 and ended in two draws. The only time they met at the World Cup was in 1966, when Argentina won 2-1. The last meeting was in 2018 when Spain beat Argentina 6-1. This time, all eyes will once again be focused on Messi. Messi, who left the MetLife Stadium in tears 10 years ago, now has the opportunity to make the same ground a witness to another memorable success of his career.
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