Spain and Argentina meet in World Cup final

Spain and Argentina, the world’s top two ranked national teams, meet Sunday at MetLife Stadium with a World Cup title, a possible Argentina repeat and a generational duel between Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal all on the line.

The final kicks off at 3 p.m. Eastern time, or 19:00 GMT, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just outside New York City. More than 80,000 fans are expected at the open-air stadium, where NPR reported the cheapest tickets were listed at nearly $10,000 on secondary market sites. Al Jazeera reported another 50,000 people are expected to watch from Central Park in Manhattan.

The weather has been part of the buildup. Smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed parts of the northeastern United States during the week, prompting health alerts and warnings to limit strenuous outdoor activity. A downpour and flash flood alert followed Saturday, but by Sunday morning NPR reported a sunny forecast, clear skies and a high near 80 degrees at kickoff.

Spain enter the final after conceding just one goal in seven matches. Their run has included a 1-0 win over No. 5 Portugal, a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over No. 9 Belgium and a 2-0 semifinal win over No. 3 France, whose attack had looked dominant before meeting Spain. The team is led by 19-year-old Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal, who has played through the tournament after a quad injury earlier in the spring.

Argentina arrive as defending champions after winning the 2022 World Cup, two Copa América titles and the 2022 Finalissima during Messi’s era with the national team. Their path through the knockout rounds has been tense: NPR reported Argentina did not lead at the 90-minute mark in any of their four knockout matches, winning twice with stoppage-time goals and twice after going ahead in extra time.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente praised Argentina on Friday, calling them “an excellent opponent, an excellent national team that has had a spectacular run over the last eight or 10 years since this group came together.”

He was equally direct about Messi, who is 39. “Messi is something else. He is an irreplaceable player, a player with extraordinary talent, and above all he is an example,” de la Fuente said. “His attitude and his behavior, at the age he is now and with the World Cup he is having, are truly spectacular.”

Messi has eight goals and four assists in the tournament, including assists on both late goals in Argentina’s semifinal against England, NPR reported. Asked whether the final could be Messi’s last match for Argentina, coach Lionel Scaloni said, “I wouldn’t know what to tell you. I don’t know, because he never stops surprising us.”

Messi and Yamal have drawn attention beyond the field. Both came through Barcelona’s La Masia academy, became stars as teenagers and wore Barcelona’s No. 10 shirt. Sunday will be their first head-to-head meeting, though they first crossed paths when Yamal was a baby during a UNICEF charity calendar photo shoot.

Asked about the photo Friday, Messi called it “una locura” — a madness. “That’s life,” he said. “I took a photo when he was a baby, and now the two of us are facing each other in a World Cup final.” Messi called Yamal a “tremendous” player and added, “We’ll do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen this time.”

The Opta supercomputer made Spain the favorite, Al Jazeera reported. Across 25,000 simulations, Spain won the trophy 59.6 percent of the time, while Argentina defended their title in 40.4 percent. After 90 minutes, Spain won 45 percent of simulations, Argentina 26 percent and 29 percent went to extra time.

Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic will officiate the match, becoming the first Slovenian to referee a men’s World Cup final. “First came the shock, then the happiness,” Vincic said of his appointment. “I was shaking. Officiating a World Cup final is an incredible honour.”