{"id":3806,"date":"2026-07-18T18:05:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T18:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3806"},"modified":"2026-07-18T18:05:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T18:05:14","slug":"what-both-teams-said-ahead-of-the-world-cup-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3806","title":{"rendered":"What both teams said ahead of the World Cup final"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Following Spain\u2019s commanding 2-0 victory over heavy favorite France, and England\u2019s late collapse against the defending champions, all eyes are turned to the final match of the World Cup at MetLife Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3804\">Research aircraft flying over Salt Lake City hunting for ozone<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Spain sits as -152 favorites against Messi and Argentina, who hold +372 odds to win, according to FanDuel. However, according to the odds, Spain and Argentina were expected to play in the consolation game, and instead, the FIFA men\u2019s rankings played out as Argentina and Spain proved their rankings as the top- and second-ranked teams.<\/p>\n<h3>Spain vs. Argentina<\/h3>\n<p>Winning his first World Cup title in Qatar, many believed it might have been Messi\u2019s final World Cup appearance. He was 35 and finally got his hands on the one major trophy that had long evaded his grasp, leaving him with seemingly nothing left to prove.<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>America\u2019s lasting impact on the World Cup<\/li>\n<li>Why the largest sporting event in the world occurs in the afternoon for Americans. Did it affect the ratings?<\/li>\n<li>While March Madness expansion draws murmurs, the World Cup may have got it right<\/li>\n<li>Money-making driveways? Here\u2019s how some locals are profiting from the World Cup<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>But Messi still felt the need to prove something to himself \u2014 that he could contribute to Argentina, even at the age of 39, per The Athletic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnyone else would have retired after winning it in 2022,\u201d former teammate Xavi said. \u201cBut he\u2019s such a competitive animal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, proving Argentina as a top two team, despite controversies along the way, Messi had a message following the victory over England.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce again, we\u2019ve established ourselves among the top two teams in the world,\u201d he said. \u201cThat proves that everything we\u2019ve done is no fluke and that nothing was handed to us. Reaching two consecutive World Cup finals is something very few achieve, and this group did it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Sunday\u2019s match could be about the coming of a new superstar as one heads out.<\/p>\n<p>Declaring on Instagram, \u201cNuevayol (New York) we\u2019re coming for you,\u201d 19-year-old Lamine Yamal appears ready for the occasion.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><svg><g><g><g><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div> <\/div>\n<div> <\/div>\n<div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>If the teenager can help Spain hoist the trophy this weekend, he will meet new heights of stardom at such an early stage of his career. He is already considered Messi\u2019s \u201cheir apparent\u201d by many, according to Yahoo Sports, and it could be a game about the future or a game where the past still rules.<\/p>\n<p>After Spain\u2019s defeat of the \u201cone of the best national teams in the world,\u201d Spain manager Luis De la Fuente said his squad was \u201cthe best team in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese players deserve everything \u2014 day after day they\u2019ve showed their commitment, their solidarity, their generosity, their talent. They make the difficult look easy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The teams meet Sunday at 1 p.m. MDT on Fox.<\/p>\n<h3>Messi with baby Yamal<\/h3>\n<p>The final between Argentina and Spain will be the first meeting between Yamal and Messi on the pitch, but it will not be the first time the two have met in life.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly two decades ago, the 20-year-old Argentine star did a promotional charity photo shoot while he played for FC Barcelona, posing with an infant Yamal, creating a connection between the two early in Messi\u2019s career.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\ud83d\udea8\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf7 Lionel Messi with Lamine Yamal as a baby back in December 2007, from Spanish newspaper @sport. <\/p>\n<p>It was a photoshoot organised for a charity calendar. pic.twitter.com\/C7jCKbYnp7<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) July 5, 2024<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Yamal\u2019s parents won a charity raffle for the United Nations Charity Fund, known as UNICEF. He was only 6 months old when he was one of the lucky winners of the raffle, per Fox.<\/p>\n<p>Messi has not publicly commented on the photos but he has praised Yamal as \u201cthe best\u201d in previous comments.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3802\">Letter to the editor: Vote to protect the future of our public lands<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a new generation of footballers who are very good and who have many years ahead of them, but if I have to choose one because of age, for what he has done so far and for the future he may have, it is Lamine,\u201d he told Dario Sport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt, for me, he\u2019s the best.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Air quality for the big finale<\/h3>\n<p>As wildfires rage throughout the country, New York-New Jersey is one of the most affected areas, including Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n<p>Concerns were raised about the worst air quality readings in years for the area.<\/p>\n<p>One altered image showed a \u201cpreview\u201d of what the World Cup could look like if conditions stay the same.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p>preview of the World Cup Final in an outdoor stadium in beautiful New York\/New Jersey if the wildfire smoke doesn&#8217;t clear up before Sunday pic.twitter.com\/ztKWvaTkXa<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rodger Sherman (@rodger) July 17, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A Major League Soccer match between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Chicago Fire taking place in Chicago was postponed due to poor air quality.<\/p>\n<p>However, as conditions improve, FIFA is not concerned, sources told ESPN.<\/p>\n<h3>England vs. France <\/h3>\n<p>As both teams experienced disappointment in the semifinals, the consolation game between England and France features French star Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, who is in the running for the tournament\u2019s Golden Boot award, recognizing the tournament\u2019s top scorer.<\/p>\n<p>Mbapp\u00e9 and Messi are tied at eight goals apiece thus far.<\/p>\n<p>France, World Cup favorites for much of the tournament, failed to do much against Spain\u2019s tactical approach, failing to attend its third consecutive final.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe English team doesn\u2019t want to play, and neither do we, but there is an objective, there is a game to play,\u201d departing France manager Didier Deschamps said at a conference. \u201cThe players, the staff and I have the duty to give it all and reach this last objective, less important than winning a final, but we are here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Deschamps won a World Cup as a player in 1998 and coached the team as it won again in 2018, and made the final and semifinal the past two times.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know that the final curtain falls tomorrow,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one here is going to cry, but I know I\u2019ll miss the French team. For 15 years, I had the privilege of experiencing moments that were magical, and others that were difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Calling himself a \u201cpositive person,\u201d he said his team has a duty to give it all and \u201creach this last objective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>England\u2019s manager Thomas Tuchel was adamant about his team\u2019s feelings toward playing in the consolation game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNone of our players and none of the French players want to play this match,\u201d Tuchel told reporters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve that. Everyone plays to win the World Cup, but that\u2019s how it is. We have one less day of recovery than France, but we will do it with professionalism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It seems the biggest thing at stake here is the Golden Boot Award.<\/p>\n<p>Both teams meet in Miami at Hard-Rock Stadium for the match taking place at 1 p.m. MDT.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3800\">Deseret News archives: With a perfect 10, Nadia stole the show at 1976 Olympics<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As air quality concerns arise, Spain and Argentina prepare for the tournament\u2019s finale in New Jersey<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3805,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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