The World Cup final awaits as Messi and defending champions Argentina prepare to face a tactically astute Spain

EAST RUTHERFORD (US): (Jul 18) (AP) Lionel Messi rarely loses. Spain never loses.

That’s been how things have worked in recent years, anyway. Soccer’s best player and soccer’s dominant team are set to collide Sunday in a World Cup final worthy of the sport’s grandest stage. Messi and Argentina will face a Spain squad that is unbeaten in 37 consecutive matches going back to early 2024.

For Spain, it’s a chance at a second World Cup title to go along with the one from 2010 and to cement itself as the unquestioned dominant force in the game right now. For Argentina, it’s a chance to become the first back-to-back men’s World Cup champion since Pele and Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. And for Messi, it’s a chance to write the perfect ending to what he has indicated will be his final run with his national team.