The sport's biggest prize comes down to this: MetLife Stadium under the New Jersey summer sky, 82,000 spectators, and the two most decorated nations in the game contesting football's greatest final. Spain arrive as four-time winners and the tournament's most convincing side; Argentina, two-time champions and holders of the 2022 trophy, arrive as the contest's most resilient. Between them they account for six World Cups and a combined 34 tournaments of history. Only once before have they met at this stage of the competition — a 2-1 Argentine victory in 1966 — and the intervening six decades have done nothing to diminish the rivalry's intensity. Whatever happens in the next 90 minutes, it will be argued over for years.

Spain have been the outstanding team of this World Cup and it isn't particularly close. De la Fuente's side dismantled Austria 3-0 in the round of 32, suffocated Portugal 1-0, edged Belgium 2-1 in a genuine test, and then put France to the sword 2-0 in the semi-final with a performance of controlled, devastating quality. The engine of that dominance is a midfield that has no contemporary equal: Rodri dictates tempo from deep with the authority of a conductor, Zubimendi provides the press-resistant link to the back line, and Pedri connects everything in between with a clarity of thought that makes the game look simple. But the decisive force — the player who makes opposition coaches genuinely afraid — is Lamine Yamal. At 18 years old he is already the most dangerous winger in the tournament, capable of the kind of dribble or incisive pass that unlocks defences that have held firm against everyone else. Álex Baena, operating in tight pockets, gives Spain a second route through when direct approach is blocked.

Argentina under Scaloni have never been pretty, and this tournament has been no exception — but they have been utterly relentless. Three-two against Cape Verde, three-two against Egypt, and a 2-1 semi-final win over England that required everything they had: this is a side that finds a way. Without the talismanic presence of an aging Messi era to lean on, a new generation has stepped forward. Julián Alvarez leads the line with ferocious energy, always in the spaces behind a high defensive line, and Lautaro Martínez provides the physical alternative — a finisher who costs defences dearly in dead-ball situations. In midfield, Enzo Fernández offers the technical quality and Alexis Mac Allister the running and bite, while Nico Paz — the Como graduate who has been the tournament's most intriguing story — brings unpredictability in advanced areas that genuinely unsettles structured defences. Argentina will sit deeper than Spain's opponents have so far, hit hard on the counter, and look to drag Yamal out of position defensively. Scaloni's side always have a plan.

The decisive question is whether Argentina can impose their tactical shape long enough to suffocate Spain's rhythm, or whether Spain's midfield quality eventually unlocks a defence that has been tested repeatedly in this tournament. Spain have the superior ball retention and can pin opponents back for long spells; Argentina's counters are swift and clinical, and they have shown throughout this competition that one or two moments are all they need. The edge, ultimately, belongs to Spain. Their form is more convincing, their creative depth is greater, and Yamal on the biggest stage of his young life feels like the game's decisive variable. Expect Argentina to make it genuinely uncomfortable, with Alvarez a constant threat in behind, but Spain's technical composure to win through. Spain 2-1.