2026 Finalissima
 | |||||||
| Event | Finalissima | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 27 March 2026 | ||||||
| Venue | Lusail Stadium, Lusail | ||||||
The 2026 Finalissima (lit. 'Grand Final'; Spanish: Finalísima) will be the fourth edition of the intercontinental football match between the winners of the previous South American and European championships, and the second edition rebranded as Finalissima. The match will feature Spain, winners of UEFA Euro 2024, and Argentina, winners of the 2024 Copa América. It will be played on 27 March 2026, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar.[1][2][3]
Argentina are the defending champions.
Background
Initially expected to take place between June and July 2025,[4][5] the match was left without a definite date for some time because both teams already had competitions scheduled during the 2025 FIFA International Match Calendar, with Spain competing in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League and then in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and Argentina immersed in the lengthy South American World Cup qualifiers.[6][7] The match was finally scheduled for March 2026 following a meeting between the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), the Argentine Football Association (AFA), and representatives from UEFA and CONMEBOL in May 2025,[8][9] and later confirmed by CONMEBOL when it published its competition calendar for 2026.[1][2] The match was conditional on Spain securing direct qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup without having to go through the UEFA play-offs also scheduled for the FIFA window in March 2026.[10]
Once the match was agreed upon, reports indicated several cities as possible hosts for the game, including Miami (United States), Montevideo (Uruguay), London (England), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and Lusail (Qatar).[11][12][13] The date and venue for the 2026 Finalissima were officially confirmed by UEFA and CONMEBOL on 18 December 2025, with the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar set to host the match on 27 March 2026.[14][15] The announcement was made after Spain won their qualifying group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in November 2025, thus securing their direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup and becoming available to face Argentina in March 2026.[16]
Teams
| Team | Confederation | Qualification | Previous participations (bold indicates winners) |
FIFA Ranking January 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Spain
|
UEFA | Winners of UEFA Euro 2024 | None | 1 |
 ArgentinaTH
|
CONMEBOL | Winners of the 2024 Copa América | 2 (1993, 2022) | 2 |
Match
Details
References
- ^ a b "Calendario de Competiciones: Torneos CONMEBOL 2026" [Competition Calendar: CONMEBOL Tournaments 2026] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 28 July 2025.
- ^ a b Gonzalez, Dante (28 July 2025). "CONMEBOL confirms date for Finalissima between Messi's Argentina and Yamal's Spain". World Soccer Talk.
- ^ Mulligan, Richard (19 December 2025). "Qatar's Lusail Stadium to host Spain-Argentina Finalissima 2026". The Stadium Business.
- ^ "Finalissima 2025: Argentina, campeón de América, disputará el título con España, campeón de Europa" [Finalissima 2025: Argentina, champion of the Americas, will compete for the title against Spain, champion of Europe.] (in Spanish). Argentine Football Association. 14 July 2024.
- ^ Roche, Calum (24 June 2024). "When is Finalissima 2025 for Spain - Argentina? The Euro 24 vs Copa América decider". Diario AS.
- ^ Alcheva, Martina (11 September 2024). "No chance in 2025: Finalissima possible match date suggested". World Soccer Talk.
- ^ Castro, Juan (28 March 2025). "La 'Finalissima' ante Argentina: un partidazo... con una fecha 'imposible'" [The ‘Finalissima’ against Argentina: a great game... with an ‘impossible’ date] (in Spanish). Marca.
- ^ "First organisational meeting for men's Finalissima between Argentina and Spain". UEFA. 16 May 2025.
- ^ Díaz, José Félix (16 May 2025). "Argentina - España, en marzo de 2026 con la Finalissima en juego" [Argentina vs. Spain, in March 2026, with the Finalissima at stake] (in Spanish). Marca.
- ^ Casillas, Roberto (18 July 2025). "Report: Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal Set to Face Off for First Time in 2026". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Medina, Antonio (18 July 2025). "Finalissima 2026: Argentina vs Spain Has Date and Possible Venue, According to Fifa". beIN Sports.
- ^ "Las cuatro sedes que podrían albergar la Finalissima entre Argentina y España: el mítico estadio que pica en punta" [The four venues that could host the Finalissima between Argentina and Spain: the legendary stadium that stands out] (in Spanish). Infobae. 9 September 2025.
- ^ Lara, Miguel Ángel (12 October 2025). "Doha se 'pide' la Finalissima" [Doha ‘asks’ for the Finalissima] (in Spanish). Marca.
- ^ "Finalissima 2026, Spain vs Argentina: All you need to know". UEFA. 18 December 2025.
- ^ "Argentina and Spain to face off in the 2026 Men's Finalissima". copaamerica.com/en. CONMEBOL. 18 December 2025.
- ^ "Spain Take All 26 World Cup Players to the Finalissima: A Luxury Rehearsal Against Messi's Argentina". beIN Sports. 18 November 2025.