Spain vs. Argentina: Official line-ups revealed for World Cup Final, Juventus player starts
The 2026 World Cup Final will see Juventus winger Nico González in the starting lineup for Argentina, playing alongside Lionel Messi. Lautaro Martínez and Nico Paz are on the bench for Argentina, facing off against Lamine Yamal's Spain.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 20:00 UK time (21:00 CEST) at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Argentina enters the final as the defending champions, having secured the title in Qatar in 2022. Their journey to this final has been marked by a series of hard-fought comeback victories.
Despite Lautaro Martínez topping Serie A's scoring charts this season and scoring a crucial late winner against England in the semi-final, he will once again start on the bench, with Julián Álvarez preferred in attack.
Nico Paz, a player from Como, is also among the substitutes. A notable change in the starting eleven sees Juventus winger Nico González selected ahead of Giuliano Simeone, who is the brother of Torino striker Giovanni Simeone and was born in Italy during his father Diego Simeone's time at Lazio.
Spain has shown increasing strength throughout the tournament. After drawing their opening match against Cape Verde, they relied on late goals to overcome Uruguay, Portugal, and Belgium. They delivered a commanding performance in the semi-final, defeating favorites France 2-0, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring five goals so far in the World Cup.
There were initial concerns regarding Lamine Yamal's left thigh, but the Barcelona talent has recovered from the knock and will start alongside Dani Olmo and Álex Baena.
Former Napoli midfielder Fabián Ruiz has been chosen to start over Pedri.
A victory for Argentina in this final would see them level with Italy and Germany, having won the World Cup four times, placing them second only to Brazil, who have five titles.
Spain vs. Argentina line-ups
Spain: Unai Simón; Pedro Porro, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Fabián Ruiz; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal
Argentina: E. Martínez; Montiel, Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Tagliafico; De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Mac Allister, Nico González; Messi, J. Álvarez
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