The World Cup finals have become a phenomenon that has piqued the curiosity of football historians: since 1982, German club Bayern Munich and Italian club Inter Milan have always had at least one player in the final match of each edition of the tournament. But on Sunday, Inter will be the only one to continue this tradition.

It was their Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez who put an end to this light-hearted rivalry between the Italian club and its German counterpart, when he rose to head home a precise cross from Lionel Messi in stoppage time of the semi-final against England (2-1).

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As for England captain Harry Kane, who excelled notably with Bayern last season, he failed to score in Atlanta and will only play in the third-place match on Saturday against France. This extraordinary streak has often been explained by the frequent presence of Germany in the final (1982, 1986, 1990, 2002, 2014) and Italy (1982, 1994, 2006), in addition to the status held by Bayern and Inter in their respective leagues.

In the 1982 World Cup final in Spain, which Italy won 3-1 against West Germany, the match featured three Bayern players and five Inter players. Eight years later, the German national team, which defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final, included six Bayern players and three Inter players.

But since 2018, this factor has no longer been sufficient to explain the phenomenon, after Germany exited in the group stage in both 2018 and 2022, and in the round of 16 in 2026, while Italy has not participated in any World Cup since 2014.

For Bayern, the continuity of its presence is also due to its financial and sporting strength, having won 13 of the last 14 Bundesliga titles. With 17 of its players participating in the 23rd edition of the 2026 World Cup, the Bavarian club was the second most represented club in the tournament behind Manchester City (19 players), and ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, the two finalists of the Champions League (16 each).

As for Inter, after a difficult financial period, it has regained its status in recent seasons by winning three of the last six Serie A titles (2021, 2024, 2026) and reaching the Champions League final in 2025 before its heavy 5-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Seven of its players were among the 1,248 players who started the tournament on June 11.

But Lautaro Martinez may feel somewhat lonely on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, facing the large contingent of players associated with Spanish clubs.

Atletico Madrid has nine players in the final, including five in the Argentine national team (not counting Nicolas Gonzalez, who was on loan to the Colchoneros last season), while Barcelona has eight players in the Spanish national team squad.