There is no bigger prize in football than the FIFA World Cup, and no bigger stage than its final. Yet when Argentina and Spain meet in Monday's showpiece, the spotlight will inevitably fall on two players at opposite ends of football's timeline.

Long before Lionel Messi became a global icon, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente had already experienced first-hand how quickly the diminutive forward could turn a game on its head.

The stakes could not be higher than they are at a World Cup final. And the grand finale at the New York-New Jersey Stadium on Monday (1:00am Bangladesh Time) could hardly have been scripted better, with Lionel Messi's Argentina taking on Lamine Yamal's Spain in a showdown set to bring the curtain down on the biggest edition in the competition's history.

Argentina may already have scaled the summit of world football in Qatar, but the reigning champions have shown throughout this World Cup that lifting the trophy once has done little to dull their appetite for another.

Argentine President Javier Milei said Thursday he will not attend the World Cup 2026 final in the United States, preferring to continue watching his country take on Spain from home.

The winners of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on Monday will not only lift football's most coveted trophy but also receive championship rings for the first time in the tournament's history.

European Championship winners Spain will face Copa America champions Argentina in the 'Finalissima' game in Qatar in March next year, European soccer body UEFA announced on Thursday.