FLASH
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Spain aims to bring back to Madrid the cup it first won in South Africa in 2010. The team led by Lionel Scaloni is seeking to become the first national team to defend the world title since Brazil in 1962.
The grand final of the World Cup between Spain and Argentina begins. 103 matches have been played in the USA, Mexico and Canada, and now the decisive challenge remains to crown the new World Champion.
Spain is the team that has been circulating the ball. "The Furious Guard" returns to a World Cup final for the first time since the 2010 triumph and comes on the back of an impressive 37-match unbeaten run.
Argentina, the reigning champion, has reached the final by overturning challenges, in extra time, once again having Lionel Messi at the center of everything.
Spain aims to bring back to Madrid the cup it first won in South Africa in 2010. The team led by Lionel Scaloni is seeking to become the first national team to defend the world title since Brazil in 1962.
For the first time in World Cup history, the break between halves will last 17 minutes due to the "Halftime Show".
Historical statistics favor Spain. In 13 of the last 14 World Cup and European Championship finals, both for men and women, they have been won by the team that played its semi-final a day earlier than its opponent.
Only once have the semi-finals been held on the same day. Ironically, the series began with Spain, who defeated Italy 4-0 in the final of “EURO 2012”.
Argentina also took advantage of this advantage in the 2022 World Cup final, when they had one more day off than France. This time it's Spain who have had an extra day to recover.
If Argentina wins the World Cup, they will become the third national team in history to win two consecutive World Cups, after Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962). They would also be the first team to achieve this feat in the 21st century.
If Spain triumphs, it will become the fourth national team to simultaneously hold the title of European and World champion, after West Germany, France and Spain itself in the golden period of 2008–2012, when it won three major tournaments in a row.
Spain and Argentina were supposed to face off this year in the Finalissima, the tournament that pits the champions of Europe and South America against each other.
The match was scheduled to take place in Qatar, but was canceled due to the war in the Middle East.
UEFA announced that the political situation in the region did not allow for its development and the parties subsequently failed to find an alternative date or venue.
The final will be refereed by Slavko Vinčič, who becomes the first Slovenian referee to referee a World Cup final.
The 46-year-old is one of the most highly regarded "black jackets" in Europe. He officiated the 2024 Champions League final at Wembley, where Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0, as well as the EURO 2024 semi-final between Spain and France, which the Iberians won 2-1.
His first match in a World Cup was Argentina's surprise loss to Saudi Arabia in 2022, where the "Albiceleste" were ultimately declared World Champions, defeating France on penalty kicks.
He also stood out in this World Cup for an unusual decision, when he sent off Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie in the 95th minute of the match against Mexico. So far, he has given out an average of 2.33 yellow cards per match.
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