Inter Miami CF duo, captain Leo Messi and midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, carry on with their FIFA World Cup 2026™ campaigns with Argentina, with La Albiceleste set to take on Spain in the Final this Sunday, July 19. The highly anticipated match at New Nork New Jersey Stadium will get underway at 3 p.m. ET.
Where to Watch
Fans can watch the action live in English on FOX, and in Spanish on Telemundo, Peacock.
Recapping Semifinals Action
Argentina sealed their place in the Final of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ with a 1-2 comeback victory over England at Atlanta Stadium in the Semifinals. Inter Miami captain Messi registered the assists for both late goals to help Argentina complete the epic comeback, while De Paul entered the pitch in the second half and played a key role in the final stretch of the match.
The match also marked another historic night for Messi. The captain made his record-extending 33rd FIFA World Cup appearance, and extended his streak to 13 consecutive games with a goal or an assist for club or country. Additionally, with his assists, Messi reached 12 all-time World Cup assists to extend his lead as the player with most assists in tournament history.
Spain, meanwhile, qualified for the Final of the global competition with a 2-0 win over France in the Semifinals.
Tournament Performance and Head to Head
La Albiceleste began their World Cup campaign with a perfect record in Group J, opening with a 3-0 win over Algeria, followed by defeating Austria 2-0 and Jordan 3-1. Argentina then kicked off the knockout stages by defeating Cape Verde and Egypt with identical 3-2 scorelines in the Round of 32 and Round of 16 respectively, prior to overcoming Switzerland 3-1 in extra time in the Quarterfinals and England in the Semifinals.
Individually, Messi has scored eight time and enters the Final tied for first place in the race for the tournament's Golden Boot.
Spain, meanwhile, defeated Austria 3-0 in the Round of 32, Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16, Belgium 2-1 in Quarterfinals, and France 2-0 in the Semifinals enroute to the Final. Prior to the knockout stages, the European nation finished first in Group H undefeated with seven points from two wins and a draw.
Argentina and Spain are set to clash for a 15th overall time, and first time in a FIFA World Cup since 1966. The series is even to date, with both national teams claiming six wins each, and the two remianing matchups resulting in draws.
Messi and De Paul with Argentina
In his historic international career, Messi has guided Argentina to the 2021 and 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América titles and 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions crown, and further cemented his legacy by leading his country to a historic FIFA World Cup title in 2022.
Messi also notably holds the records for most caps (206) and most goals (125) for Argentina, while also holding the international record for most World Cup goals (21), assists (12), and matches played (33), and being the only player to score in the World Cup group stage, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final.
De Paul, meanwhile, is featuring in a World Cup for a second time after his key role en route to lifting the cup in 2022. El Motorcito was also one of the main figures alongside Messi in La Albiceleste's 2021 and 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América and 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions conquests. In all, the versatile midfielder has earned 93 caps, scoring two times, in his fruitful international career for Argentina.
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