Will Lionel Messi play tonight for Argentina vs Spain in FIFA World Cup 2026 Final?

Lionel Messi has managed 12 goal contributions in the tournament so far.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 has reached its final encounter. The battle is set between the final two remaining nations, who confirmed their spot after a month-long, intense journey. In the historic final, Spain are set to face defending champions Argentina at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, USA.

Argentina and Spain share a long competitive history, playing 14 times against each other, with both nations winning six matches each. They have played at the World Cup only once. In the 1966 group stages, La Albiceleste secured a 2-1 victory.

Also read: Will Lamine Yamal play tonight for Spain vs Argentina in FIFA World Cup 2026 Final?

Lionel Scaloni on Lionel Messi’s availability

Manager Lionel Scaloni has officially confirmed that captain Lionel Messi is in peak fitness. He is guaranteed to start against Spain in the monumental final. Concerns arose after Messi didn’t feature in the brief media-accessed portion of the training session.

Lionel Messi has established himself as the nation’s most crucial player. He uses his unbelievable vision, elite dribbling, and massive goal-scoring threat. All his capabilities will be absolutely vital against Spain’s world-class defence.

He started the tournament incredibly, scoring a brilliant hat-trick against Algeria. Messi followed it with a brace against Austria and a goal against Jordan. He helped Argentina advance as group leaders with a perfect record.

Lionel Messi was exceptional in the knockout stages as well. He scored once against Cape Verde and Egypt in the Round of 32 and Round of 16, respectively. His biggest moment of the tournament arrived in the semi-finals against England.

He had an excellent outing, assisting both of Argentina’s goals, which included the 85th-minute equaliser and the dramatic 92nd-minute winner. After securing a 2-1 victory, the nation booked their spot in consecutive finals.

He has managed to register an astonishing eight goals and four assists so far in the tournament. If he manages to score at least two goals against Spain, Lionel Messi will secure the Golden Boot, an accolade he has not achieved so far. He will also reclaim his record for goal contributions at the World Cup with it.

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