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Vicente del Bosque, former coach of the Spanish national team, warned his country's team not to underestimate Argentina before the World Cup final, describing the opponent as a 'very annoying rival' and calling on players to be cautious.

Del Bosque led Spain to the 2010 World Cup title after defeating the Netherlands 1-0 in South Africa.

Del Bosque said in an interview published by El País on Saturday: 'Argentina is a very difficult team, very annoying if I may use that description, and they know exactly what they have to do.'

The Spanish coach noted that Argentina's comeback victory over England is proof of the Argentine team's quality.

He added: 'I see the scales tipping in Spain's favor in the final, but we must be wary of the Argentines due to the difficulty of facing them and their experience.'

Del Bosque, 75, praised the performance of the Spanish national team in the tournament, expressing confidence in their ability to win the title.

Del Bosque - Casillas

He continued: 'In the matches we have seen, things went exactly the way the Spanish team wanted. They imposed their control on the flow of play, showing great confidence and clear calmness.'

Spain and Argentina meet on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey for the 2026 World Cup final.

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