The two sides of the FIFA World Cup final are complete, and as befits the closing scene, football fans await a clash between two different schools.

Argentina, the defending champion led by Lionel Messi, the all-time top scorer in the tournament's history, will face Spain, the team with the strongest defense, on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Spanish national team defeated its Spanish counterpart in the semi-final last Tuesday, while the Argentine national team, the master of comebacks in the World Cup, defeated England 2-1 in the second semi-final on Wednesday.

The Argentine national team seeks its fourth title and aims to become the first team to win two consecutive titles since Brazil achieved this feat in 1958 and 1962.

In contrast, the Spanish national team seeks its second title after winning its first in 2010.

The Argentine national team is the highest-scoring team, having scored 19 goals so far.

In contrast, the Spanish defense is the strongest in the tournament, having conceded only one goal.

A change must occur next Sunday, when the curtain falls on the largest edition in World Cup history, which featured 48 teams and hosted 104 matches in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

It will not be a Finalissima (CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions) match, but rather something bigger.

The champions of South America and Europe, Argentina and Spain, were supposed to meet in the Qatari capital Doha in late March in a Finalissima match that would have brought together Messi and Lamine Yamal before the World Cup began.

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However, the match was canceled due to security concerns and tensions in the Middle East, as Iran escalated attacks on neighboring countries in response to US and Israeli airstrikes, in an ongoing war.

Therefore, instead of playing at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup final where Messi and Argentina defeated 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 clash between the present and future of football, in addition to bringing together the two teams that entered the tournament ranked first and second in the FIFA World Rankings, with Argentina first and Spain second.

Messi and Yamal Photo

In 2007, a famous photo was taken of Messi during his participation in a UNICEF program, holding a baby.

Yamal was that baby, and like Messi, who now plays for Inter Miami in the US, Yamal became a left-footed star at Barcelona. It is one of the strangest stories: from a photo of them taken about two decades ago, the two stars will meet again in the World Cup final.