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Rabat – The Finalissima, the one-off match between the champions of Europe and South America, featuring Spain and Argentina, was supposed to take place five months ago.
The match was locked in back in December, set for Lusail Stadium in Qatar on March 27. Then the security fallout from the Iran conflict shut down the Qatar Stars League, and UEFA and CONMEBOL couldn’t agree on where to move it.
Madrid pushed for the Bernabéu. Buenos Aires pushed for the Monumental. Neither federation gave ground, and the fixture between the reigning European and South American champions quietly fell off the calendar.
Sunday, it could resurface anyway, this time as the World Cup final.
Spain have already booked their spot. Luis de la Fuente’s side put out France 2-0 in Dallas on Tuesday, Mikel Oyarzabal scoring from the penalty spot before Pedro Porro added a second.
La Roja are just one win away from a second World Cup star, having reached the final for only the second time in their history.
The only previous time they reached this stage was in 2010, when they went on to lift the trophy.
Argentina’s route isn’t finished yet. Lionel Messi and the defending champions take on England today in Atlanta, with a final spot on the line and a chance to become the first nation since Brazil in 1958-62 to win back-to-back World Cup titles.
Get past England, and the rest takes care of itself.
This is still Spain versus Argentina, Euro champions versus Copa América champions, the exact fixture that was supposed to settle continental bragging rights in the desert five months ago.
Lamine Yamal has already said as much this week, telling reporters he’s hoping for Argentina in the final specifically so he can swap shirts with Messi.
It’s the collision European and South American football were denied in March, except this time there’s a World Cup trophy on the table instead of a continental one.
For Argentina, the stakes are layered. Beat England, and they reach a second straight World Cup final. Beat Spain on Sunday, and they don’t just retain the World Cup; they also settle, informally, a fixture UEFA and CONMEBOL couldn’t organize themselves.
Whether Argentina gets to play their part in it depends on what happens in Atlanta first.
