The Argentina men’s national football team is set to take on Spain in the World Cup 2026 final on Sunday. The match will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and is set to kick off at 4 p.m. Argentina time.

The Albiceleste reaches the game having gone through a bumpy road. 

Despite a nearly flawless group stage, in which it beat Algeria 3-0, Austria 2-0, and Jordan 3-1, with six goals by star and captain Lionel Messi, the knockout stages proved far more challenging.

An extra-time 3-2 win against Cape Verde in the round of 32 was followed by another 3-2 win  — this time in regulation — in the round of 16 against Egypt after coming from 2-0 down.

In the quarterfinals, Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1, where the team was overpowered for long stretches of the match.

It set up a semifinal duel against England, where the Albiceleste once again had to fight after going down, with goals by Enzo Fernández in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martínez in the 92nd to secure a historic result.

“When we’re against the odds, they play their best,” said head coach Lionel Scaloni after the match. “When that happens, and the rival hesitates, they smell blood and go all........

© Buenos Aires Herald