Spain and Argentina qualified for the final of the 2026 World Cup, which will take place this evening. This qualification went against most expectations, which had favored France and England to reach the big final based on their performance in the tournament. But football only recognizes effort on the pitch, and the Spanish and Argentine qualification was deserved given the high technical level they displayed in the semi-finals. It seems that the French entered the first semi-final with a negative memory from their previous encounters with Spain, which had favored the Spanish team, in addition to Deschamps' failure in some of his technical choices. They faced a team that played collective football with a group of distinguished and cohesive players who outperformed them in all aspects of the match. As for the English, they led in the second semi-final against Argentina until the 86th minute, but their excessive retreat and the skill and intelligence of the legendary genius Messi led them to concede two consecutive goals in a few minutes, ending their dream of reaching the final for the second time in their history after an absence of six decades. The English team was not at their best and did not deliver the required level in such difficult matches, and they deserved to lose.

The grand final, which will take place this evening and brings together Spain and Argentina, will be a clash between Argentine legend Lionel Messi and Spain's talent, the brilliant winger Lamine Yamal. Despite the big age difference between them, their impact on the final will be decisive, especially from the genius Messi. In the end, whoever helps his country win the title will be the leading candidate to win the Ballon d'Or for the year 2026.

Finals are won, not played, and are decided by small details. This saying is repeated by critics before every final, but it remains a football match where the better team technically often prevails, unless there are catastrophic errors from one of the players on either team or from the refereeing that disrupt the match and affect its final outcome.

Yes, Spain has a group of distinguished and cohesive players like Rodri, Yamal, and Olmo, and they play modern, beautiful football, capable of penetrating the opponent's defenses no matter how strong they are, with their lines close together, defending and attacking as one block. But they will face a stubborn team that possesses the genius Messi, that legendary player with high technical abilities, great tactical understanding, and the ability to read the opponent and move around the pitch between the center and the flanks, creating and scoring goals. This great player with these magical abilities, when he is on his day, makes it difficult for any team to beat him, even if they have a gem like Yamal and a maestro like Rodri and others. Spain may take the lead, but Messi and his teammates have accustomed us in this World Cup to coming back into the match when they are one or two goals down. Therefore, it is difficult to predict the result of the match, which could be decided by one of them by a single goal, or go to extra time and possibly penalty kicks.

This grand final will be a final of story and performance between the Argentine team, which wrote its story in the World Cup in the knockout stages where they fell behind in some matches or were stuck in others with draws, then came back and turned the result around with great might and brilliance, and a Spanish team that began its dominance in the knockout stages with wonderful performances and organized collective play, eliminating big European teams from the World Cup. Will the tango's story continue to paint its final chapter with Messi's brush, or will the Spanish dominance with their brilliant integrated performance have the last word in this final? That is what we will know when we see who climbs the podium lifting the golden cup.

In brief.

- Today the World Cup concludes in its first expanded edition, which featured 48 national teams, and there is a move to increase it to 64 teams in the next edition in 2030. This could mean that there will be no need for qualifiers in some continents due to the limited number of teams there, and perhaps the highest-ranked teams in the world rankings will qualify without having to play qualifiers. I hope that FIFA does not deprive us of the World Cup's excitement with this inappropriate expansion.

Al-Falak

- All of Argentina's matches in the knockout stages suggest that the golden cup wants to extend its stay in Buenos Aires for another four years. But this desire may weaken if Messi and his teammates do not pay its precious dowry, and if La Roja overcomes them and wins its affection. Tonight we will know who will celebrate it, and perhaps it will be delayed until dawn tomorrow.

And I leave you in good health.

** **

- Mohammed Al-Mudayfer

X: @mohdalimod

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