Football fans got some good news on Thursday as the date and venue for the 2026 Finalissima were confirmed on Thursday. The national football teams from Argentina and Spain are set to face off at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on March 27 at 3 p.m. Argentina time.
The tournament sees the defending champions of the Copa América and the European Championships face off in a single, winner-takes-all game.
The news was confirmed on Thursday by Alejandro Domínguez and Aleksander Ceferin, presidents of the South American and European football confederations CONMEBOL and UEFA, respectively.
“This iconic match is more than just a competition; it is a symbol of cooperation and respect between confederations and an opportunity for fans to enjoy a truly historic event,” said Domínguez. Ceferin, on the other hand, called the event “the unification of two footballing continents,” insisting that it “showcases the global reach of our sport.”
The match is set to be a clash of generations. Argentina will likely be led by 38-year-old captain and superstar Lionel Messi, while Spain will place its hope on the player who largely succeeded the Argentine as FC Barcelona’s brightest star: 18-year-old Lamine Yamal.
A less than perfect date The organization of the match proved troublesome, as both teams found it hard to agree on a set date. With the Finalissima being a tournament outside of world football’s governing body FIFA, the two continental confederations had to agree on a date that worked for both teams.
When the date was initially rumored earlier in the year, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni showed his displeasure with it.
“I would’ve rather not played it before the World Cup,” he told sports outlet TNT Sports back in September. “Spain had no availability because of the UEFA Nations League, which they invented, and it killed us South Americans.”
Playing it just three months ahead of the World Cup could throw a spanner in the works for both teams, considering that most teams will have their sights set on the big tournament. An official match with a trophy at stake also forces both teams, two of the biggest candidates to win it all in the World Cup, to play key players and risk injuries.
Argentina looking to beat its own record The Albiceleste will arrive at Lusail Stadium as the competition’s defending champion and most successful team.
Despite its iconic status, the Finalissima has a shorter story than imaginable, and only two teams have won it.
France won the inaugural tournament in 1985, when it was still called the Artemio Franchi Cup after the former president of UEFA, who died in a car accident in 1983.
It wasn’t played again until 1993, when Argentina, led by Diego Maradona, took the title, beating the Danish team that surprisingly won the 1992 European Championship.
The defending champions had to wait almost 30 years to repeat the feat, when the competition was brought back and rebranded as Finalissima in 2022. Argentina, as 2021 Copa América winners, beat 2020 European champions Italy 3-0 at Wembley Stadium.
In 2023, CONMEBOL and UEFA inaugurated a women’s football equivalent tournament called the Women’s Finalissima. UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 winners England beat 2022 Copa América Femenina winners Brazil on penalties to take the first title.