​Nearly two decades ago, photographers captured a young Lionel Messi bathing a Spanish baby as part of a charity calendar photo shoot. As fate would have it, Argentina’s Messi and that baby, who became Spain’s young soccer phenom, Lamine Yamal, will now face off in the 2026 men’s World Cup Final. What a delightful and mind-blowing plot twist.If prophecies were real, which they aren’t, this might be the closest possible thing we’d see to one.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt is, quite frankly, mind-blowing that this photo wound up featuring the two central figures of the biggest sporting event in modern human civilization:What is particularly special about this purely coincidental photo is the constant comparisons between Yamal and Messi.Messi is at the tail end of his illustrious, decorated career, trying to win one more World Cup title for his country. It is the only thing he has left to accomplish. Meanwhile, with a 2024 European championship already in his back pocket, the 19-year-old Yamal is likely only just getting started when it comes to stacking trophies for Spain. Now, the present and future are meeting up in an epic matchup with everything on the line.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHonestly, who am I to say prophecies aren’t real? Maybe they are!Argentina and Spain will play at 3:00 p.m Eastern on Sunday, July 19th, 2026. The match will take place at the New York Giants’/New York Jets’ stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.This article originally appeared on For The Win: The 2026 World Cup Final fulfills prophecy of Lionel Messi-Lamine Yamal bathtub photo