(CNN) — Note: This story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here.
What a semifinal we saw yesterday. Utter heartbreak for England, but total elation for Argentina as it pulled off yet another late comeback to secure its place in the World Cup final.
In truth, England will be left regretting its tactics in the second half, which gave the defending champion all the encouragement it needed, and Lionel Messi once again proved to be the difference.
But now, after 102 matches, we know which two teams will battle it out in Sunday’s final. It’s Spain vs. Argentina; Lamine Yamal vs. Lionel Messi.
Let’s discuss everything you need to know about a potentially amazing contest on Sunday and look back at some flashpoints from yesterday’s match, including a political banner that might get Argentina in some trouble.
The Main Thing: Polarizing styles set to clash in the World Cup final
I’m not sure I could think of two teams more different to play a World Cup final. We are in for an utter treat.
Let me explain what I mean and why it’s going to be so interesting.
Spain is the master of possession. It does the pretty things well – keeping the ball with confidence and crafting some beautiful passages of play that rip teams apart.
Meanwhile, Argentina is a snarling team full of passion-merchants. They almost prioritize aggression over their obvious ability, doing the ugly stuff better than anyone else, flying into late challenges and trying to intimidate the opposition.
So far, both styles have worked and now they’re set to clash in what will be the most predictable World Cup final of all time because there is no question about how both teams will play.
La Roja will dominate the game, attempting to pass Argentina to death and looking to capitalize on any slips of concentration. Rodri is the man who will drive that in the middle of the pitch, a midfielder so good that he can run the tempo of the game alone.
La Albiceleste will be after him from the very first whistle. You saw that tactic against England yesterday, with Argentina’s stars smashing into England’s best players to try to unsettle their rhythm.
What’s worrying for Spain is Argentina knows it works. England looked cowed and browbeaten by the second half of the semifinal, which allowed Lionel Messi to do what only Lionel Messi can do. It’s a tactic that they have no reason to change.
I just fear for Rodri’s ankles in the opening five minutes…
But what makes predicting a winner even harder is that both teams have experience lifting big trophies.
Spain is the reigning European champion, and Argentina has won three major international trophies in a row – including, obviously, the last World Cup – with many of the same players in the current side. Both have had time to gel as a squad, and both have managers who know how to get over the line.
And while Argentina’s star man Messi is often the difference for his team, Spain boasts Lamine Yamal who many consider to be the heir to the Argentine’s throne.
It’s just a final that’s so perfectly balanced that even I (a heartbroken England fan) can’t help getting excited for.
Mamdani watches World Cup semifinal with Rikers inmates
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited Rikers Island jail where inmates watched England face Argentina in the FIFA World Cup semifinal.
Argentina unfurls political banner during semifinal celebrations
From CNN’s Patrick Sung Cuadrado
In the midst of that party atmosphere following Argentina’s win yesterday, you might have missed the moment players unfurled a rudimentary banner on what appeared to be a white bed sheet with the words: “LAS MALVINAS SON ARGENTINAS” or “The Malvinas (The Falklands) are Argentine.”
CNN Sports witnessed the banner being held by Argentina midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and center-back Lisandro Martínez, before it was scrunched up and then laid back out on the pitch temporarily. It’s unclear where the banner came from, but pictures show that it was in the stands with fans at the end of the game.
The banner’s text is a clear political message in reference to the British-ruled Falklands Islands, which have a long been a sore point between the United Kingdom and Argentina. The diplomatic tensions stretch back to the 1700s and 1800s but came to a head in 1982 when the nations went to war over the South Atlantic islands, 300 miles east of the tip of South America.
The 74-day war was sparked when the then-military government in Argentina landed an invading force on the islands and ended with a British victory that followed hundreds of casualties on both sides. Argentina estimated its death toll from the conflict at around 645, while Britain lost 255 personnel. Residents overwhelmingly voted to remain British in a 2013 referendum, but it remains an issue of contention in Argentina. In 2024, Argentina President Javier Milei said that he has a “clear roadmap so that the Malvinas return to Argentine hands.”
All this served as an undercurrent for yesterday’s match. However, FIFA might still get involved.
Section 3.1.24 of FIFA’s Stadium Code of Conduct for this World Cup prohibits banners “of a political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature” and Law 4 of the Laws of the Game also bans political messaging.
UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC that the banner was “entirely inappropriate” and that he expects “FIFA to do its investigation thoroughly.”
CNN Sports has reached out to FIFA for comment on the banner and any prospective sanctions but has not received a response.
So while it remains to be seen what punishment could be handed out to the players or anyone else on the Argentina squad, there is precedent.
FIFA banned South Korea’s Park Jong-woo for two international matches for unfurling a banner in Korean that read “Dokdo is our territory” after its victory over Japan in the 2012 Olympic bronze medal match, in regard to the dispute over the islands.
European soccer governing body UEFA also banned Spain’s Rodri and Álvaro Morata for one match for saying “Gibraltar is Spanish” at the team’s Euro 2024 celebrations.
Quotes of the Day
These are just some of the headlines from the English newspapers this morning as the country wakes up to the regret and misery that comes from World Cup elimination.
It’s now been 60 years of pain since England last won the trophy and there was genuine belief and hope that this squad might have what it takes.
But once again, it came up short, stricken by its own tactics and the brilliance of Lionel Messi.
And while the papers capture the disappointment of a nation in their headlines, there is growing resentment online regarding England manager Thomas Tuchel’s baffling decision to sit back and defend the Three Lions’ lead so early on.
The German insists he’s already planning for the European Championships in 2028, but he’s got his work cut out trying to convince many English fans that he’s still the man for the job.
The fallout from this World Cup won’t be pretty in England and those wounds will take a while to heal for a nation so obsessed with soccer.
Lionel Messi edges closer to Golden Boot
Lionel Messi didn’t score a goal in yesterday’s semifinal, but he did overtake Kylian Mbappé as the tournament’s top scorer.
Both Messi and Mbappé have tallied eight goals so far, and the Frenchman previously led the way because he had one more assist than the Argentine (a metric used to separate tied players).
But Messi registered two assists against England and now finds himself top of the leaderboard with the final yet to play.
Despite losing the semifinal, Mbappé will have another chance to add to his tally as well. France will play a third-place match (more on that later) against England, but it’s likely that many star players on both teams will be rested for some of it.
It means Messi is probably the slight favorite to win the World Cup Golden Boot for the first time in his career.
The Final Whistle: The match that no one wants to play
Now that we know which teams will contest the final, we also know who will play the most pointless match in the history of sport.
For years, it was known as the third-place playoff but now, to the annoyance of many, it’s dubbed the Bronze Final.
It’s contested between the two losers of the semifinals, so this year, it will see France take on England. The idea is to find out which team finishes third – a concept many find hard to care about.
The players certainly aren’t bothered. Both England and France will just want to fly home and take a break from what must be such crippling disappointment. Instead, they have to fly to Miami to play another match on Saturday with literally nothing at stake.
Both managers will pretend, I’m sure, to put effort in. But you’ll likely see those players who didn’t get many minutes during the tournament get some time on the pitch.
There is something to play for, I guess. Whoever wins this match will receive $29 million in prize money, compared to $27 million awarded to the loser.
But in today’s game, that difference is hardly worth fighting for.
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