Argentina and Spain meet today at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in a World Cup final that both statisticians and tacticians have described as one of the most historically rich matchups in the tournament's history, pitting Lionel Messi's bid for a second consecutive title against Spain's chance to become just the seventh nation to win multiple World Cups.

The two sides enter the final with a nearly even head-to-head record dating back to their first meeting in 1966. Across 14 previous encounters spanning all competitions, the series sits at six wins apiece with two draws, according to Fox Sports. Spain has won four of the last six meetings between the nations, though Argentina's most recent victory in the series came in 2010, the same year Spain went on to win its only previous World Cup title. The two teams have not met since a March 2018 friendly, which Spain won 6-1, though neither current roster closely resembles the one that took the field in that lopsided result.

Argentina arrives at the final riding one of the most statistically dominant scoring stretches in World Cup history. According to Fox Sports, Argentina has scored multiple goals in 13 straight World Cup matches, the longest such streak in tournament history, and remains unbeaten in 19 consecutive major-tournament games, a run that includes 16 wins and three penalty-shootout victories. The team has also scored eight goals after the 85th minute of matches during this tournament alone, including extra time, a single-edition record for late-game scoring in World Cup history, reflecting the........

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