SPAIN PERSPECTIVE

Madrid, July 19, 2026. Sixteen years after Iker Casillas' triumph in South Africa, La Roja is back in a World Cup final, this time facing reigning champion Argentina on Sunday at New York's MetLife Stadium. On the streets, supporters in Spain express a mix of "hope and caution": "I trust Spain, but Argentina is a team with a lot of intensity and experience," says one fan, while another praises "the toughest defense in the World Cup" built around Pedro Porro and Mikel Oyarzabal.

The highly anticipated matchup goes beyond the sports result, as 39-year-old Lionel Messi is set to play what is likely his last World Cup, facing off against Lamine Yamal, who is seen as his natural heir. Vicente del Bosque, the only coach to have led Spain to a World Cup title, considers La Roja the favorite but warns: "It seems that Spain has an extraordinary opportunity to win its second World Cup, but we must not be overconfident," he said on Onda Cero, recalling that "Argentinians are people who don't back down from anything."

The excitement extends far beyond the stadium. Madrid has set up several giant screens, including one at the Movistar Arena measuring 16 meters by 9 meters, where 15,000 free tickets were reserved in just 90 minutes; another screen in the Plaza de Colón is expected to accommodate around 6,000 people. Barcelona, meanwhile, is installing an 8-meter by 5-meter screen in the Les Corts neighborhood, with musical entertainment starting at 7 pm before kickoff. A sign of the enthusiasm, the airline Level has seen a 1,709% surge in flight searches from Madrid and Barcelona to New York since Spain qualified, with some organized packages costing over 8,900 euros per person.

The Spanish economic press also highlights the significance of the event for New York, which expects 3 billion euros in revenue and 1.2 million visitors, transforming the city into the "world capital of football" despite the sweltering heat and orange skies caused by Canadian wildfires. Between national pride, nostalgia for 2010, and fascination with Messi's twilight, Spain approaches this final aware that it is facing, in its own words, "the toughest possible opponent".