Spain's national football team faces Argentina on Sunday in the 2026 World Cup final in the United States. This is not the first time a European team meets a Latin American team in the World Cup final. European and South American teams have met in 11 previous finals, with South America winning eight matches compared to three for Europe. The story began in 1958 when Brazil beat Sweden 5-2 in the final, giving the Latin American team the edge over its European counterpart in the decisive match. Brazil returned to win against Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the 1962 World Cup final before triumphing again 4-1 over Italy in the 1970 final. In the 1978 World Cup, Argentina beat the Netherlands 3-1 in the final, then won again in the 1986 final against West Germany 3-2. European teams prevailed for the first time over their South American counterparts in the 1990 final when Germany beat Argentina 1-0. Brazil regained the upper hand again after beating Italy on penalties in the 1994 final before losing 0-3 to France in the 1998 final. Brazil came back strong in the 2002 World Cup, beating Germany 2-0 in the final, but Germany got revenge for Europe by beating Argentina 1-0 in the 2014 final in Brazil. It is noteworthy that the most recent final between a Latin American and a European team was in 2022 in Qatar, where Argentina beat France on penalties after a 3-3 draw at the end of regulation and extra time.