​The 2026 World Cup final will give Spain their second appearance at the final round of the tournament and their first since winning their first title in the competition in South Africa in 2010. That time, Andrés Iniesta scored the only goal late in extra-time to beat The Netherlands. This time, the New York New Jersey Stadium will host a clash between European Championship holders Spain and Copa América holders Argentina.The game will take place with a 3pm ET kick-off on Sunday, July 19, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Argentina booked their place with a 2-1 extra-time win over England in Atlanta, Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez scoring in the 85th and 92nd minutes and are set to defend the title they won in Qatar four years ago.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSpain flew into Newark from Dallas on Wednesday night and moved straight to their tournament hotel in Montclair, New Jersey, where fans gathered behind the security perimeter to greet the squad.Spain reached the 2026 World Cup final for the first time since winning the tournament in 2010, beating France 2-0 in Dallas on July 14. The run started with a scoreless draw against debutants Cape Verde in the group stage, a result that looked shaky at the time.La Roja topped the group anyway, beating Saudi Arabia and Uruguay on the way, then routed Austria in the round of 32. Mikel Merino struck in injury time to edge Portugal 1-0 in the round of 16, then came off the bench again to seal a 2-1 quarterfinal win over Belgium, the only team to score against Spain all tournament.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe semifinal against France was billed as attack versus defense. France had outscored opponents 16-2 through six games, led by Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé. Spain neutralized both. Mbappé took 34 touches and three shots, none on target. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a first-half penalty after a Lamine Yamal foul drew the call, and Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 58th minute off a give-and-go.Spain now faces Argentina for the first time since a memorable 6-1 friendly win in Madrid in March 2018 over the Albiceleste, with Isco scoring a hat-trick. That was one of three victories, all in exhibition games, over the past 20 years, alongside a single defeat, 4-1 in Buenos Aires, in 2010.The defining number is defensive. Spain has allowed one goal in seven matches this tournament, a run that includes shutting out a France side that had been the competition’s most powerful attack. Coach Luis de la Fuente’s team suffocated France’s attack in the semifinal, conceding only 0.31 expected goals, and held the competition’s joint top-scorer Kylian Mbappé to only two shots off target and none on target.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn terms of individuals, Mikel Oyarzabal has been the standout. He’s now Spain’s all-time leading World Cup scorer, and his penalty against France was his fifth goal of the tournament, keeping him in the Golden Boot conversation al