The two sides of the World Cup final are set... As befits the closing scene, football fans await a clash between two different schools.

Argentina, the defending champions led by Lionel Messi, the all-time leading scorer in the tournament's history, will face Spain, which has the strongest defense, on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Spain defeated France in the semifinal last Tuesday, while Argentina, the king of comebacks in the World Cup, beat England 2-1 in the second semifinal on Wednesday. Argentina is seeking its fourth title and aims to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Brazil achieved that feat in 1958 and 1962.

Spain, meanwhile, is aiming for its second title after winning its first in 2010.

Argentina is the highest-scoring team with 19 goals so far. In contrast, Spain's defense is the strongest in the tournament, having conceded just one goal. Something has to give on Sunday when the curtain falls on the largest edition in World Cup history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This will not be a 'Finalissima' (CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions); it will be bigger. The champions of South America and Europe, Argentina and Spain, were supposed to meet in the Qatari capital Doha late last March in the 'Finalissima,' a clash that would have pitted Messi against Lamine Yamal before the World Cup. But the match was canceled due to security concerns and tensions in the Middle East, with Iran escalating its attacks on neighboring countries in response to US and Israeli airstrikes, in a war that is still ongoing. So instead of playing at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup final where Messi and Argentina beat France and Kylian Mbappé on penalties, they will now play near New York City in the biggest football match in the world.

The final will also be a matchup between the present and future of football, as well as bringing together the two teams that entered the tournament ranked first and second in the FIFA World Rankings, with Argentina top and Spain second.

In 2007, a famous photo was taken of Messi during his participation in a UNICEF program, holding a baby. That baby was Yamal. Like Messi, who now plays for Inter Miami in the US, Yamal has become a left-footed star at Barcelona. It is one of the strangest stories: from a photo that brought them together nearly two decades ago, the two stars will reunite in a World Cup final. What a perfect ending to an extraordinary story.

Spain reached the final without a loss, winning 6 matches and drawing 1, scoring 13 goals and conceding 1. They started the group stage with a goalless draw against Cape Verde, then beat Saudi Arabia 4-0, defeated Uruguay 1-0, in the round of 32 beat Austria 3-2, then beat Portugal 1-0 in the round of 16, defeated Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals, and beat France in the semifinal.

Argentina, meanwhile, reached the final with a perfect record, winning all 7 matches so far, scoring 19 goals and conceding 7. Argentina started their campaign with a 3-0 win over Algeria, then beat Austria 2-0, then beat Jordan 3-1. In the round of 32, Argentina beat Cape Verde 3-2, then beat Egypt 3-2 in the round of 16, beat Switzerland 3-1 in the quarterfinals, before beating England 2-1 in the semifinal.

Both teams enter the final with impressive runs. Spain have not lost in their last 37 matches in all competitions and friendlies, with 28 wins and 9 draws, with their last defeat coming against Colombia 0-1 in March 2024. Argentina, on the other hand, have not lost in their last 13 World Cup matches, with 11 wins and 2 draws, since their loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening match of the 2022 World Cup.