Argentina and Spain to meet in Qatar for intercontinental ‘Finalissima’

Spain, the European champions, and Argentina, the Copa America winners, will compete in the “Finalissima” international super final on March 27 in Qatar, the South American and European football confederations announced on Thursday.

The match, which will take place less than three months before the kick-off of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, will be a chance to gauge the form of Argentina, the reigning world champions, and Spain, one of the favourites for the North American tournament.

“The Finalissima celebrates football excellence by bringing together the best of European and South American national team football,” said UEFA, the European governing body, on its website.

Argentina won the previous edition of the Finalissima, beating Italy 3-0 with goals from Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria and Paulo Dybala in June 2022 at Wembley Stadium.

Spain currently top the FIFA world rankings ahead of Argentina in second.

One of the main attractions of the match will be the meeting between Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal — the past and present of Barcelona.

The Lusail Stadium will also bring back fond memories for the Argentinians, as it is the stadium where their captain Messi lifted the World Cup trophy three years ago.

At the upcoming World Cup, Spain are in Group H alongside Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde.

Argentina have been drawn in Group J with Algeria, Austria and Jordan.