Lionel Messi Creates World Cup History as Argentina Reach FIFA World Cup 2026 Final

The rampage of defending champions Argentina continued after they came back from behind to overcome the English challenge in the semis. England were leading 1-0 but Argentina fought back to win 2-1 and seal a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. The defending champions will be pushing for a 4th title and Spain will want a 2nd crown on their head.

Lionel Messi Does What Kylian Mbappe Could Not

But for Argentina captain Lionel Messi, the final will be a historical moment regardless of what the result is. The moment the 39-year-old steps on to the pitch and the game starts, he shall be only the second player to join an exclusive World Cup club. He will also have achieved something that has not happened since 2002. Right now, only Brazil legend Cafu is a member of the club. Kylian Mbappe missed out because he lost in the semis to Spain.

Messi achieves historic first after 24 years

Messi will become only the 2nd player, and 1st in 24 years, to play three finals. Cafu played the summit clash in 1994, 1998 and 2002. Messi played in 2014 and 2022 before this one. Mbappe played the finals in 2018 and 2022 but missed out this time and would now play for 3rd place deciding match.

Three Finals in Six World Cups

This will be Mess’s 3rd final in his sixth World Cup. In 2006 and 2010, Argentina made it as far as the quarters while in 2018, they lost in the Round of 16. In 2014, Messi felt the pain of losing in the title clash and in 2022, he experienced the joy of lifting the trophy. What will happen this time?

Clash of the Titans

Spain are top contenders and maybe the one side that can seriously challenge Argentina. Their dismantling of France showed how effective they were in strangling the opposition. Argentina’s victory vs England proved that one can never count them out. We shall either see a European winner or a South American one. Let’s wait and watch.