00:08This is beyond the game, the Bolsa is pure, the stage is set for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
00:13final as Spain and Argentina prepared to meet in a dream match-up that many was destined to happen.
00:20The finalissima that never took place in March will instead be replaced by the biggest prize
00:24in football. Spain, the reigning European champions, and Argentina, the Copa America
00:29holders, will battle for the most coveted trophy in the sport in what promises to be a historic
00:33showdown. Ahead of this blockbuster final, it's impossible not to look back at the history between
00:38these two football giants. Led by Lionel Scaloni and Luis de la Fuente, Argentina and Spain have
00:44developed an intermittent rivalry filled with memorable encounters spanning more than seven
00:48decades. Their story began on December 7, 1952 in Madrid, when Argentina defeated Spain 1-0 thanks
00:56to a goal from Ricardo Infante, one of the country's most talented forwards of that era.
01:01The next landmark meeting came at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England. Played in Birmingham,
01:07Argentina earned a memorable 2-1 victory over Spain in one of the most significant competitive
01:11matches between the two nations. Four decades later, in 2006, Lionel Messi made his first
01:16appearance against Spain in an international friendly. La Rocha claimed a 2-1 victory with goals
01:21from Xavi Hernandez and David Villa, while Daniel Vilo scored Argentina's long goal.
01:27In 2010, just months after Spain lifted the World Cup in South Africa, the teams met again in Buenos
01:32Aires. Argentina produced a stunning performance, defeating the newly crowned world champions 4-1,
01:38with goals from Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez, and Sergio Agüero. The most recent meeting came in
01:452018, when Spain handed Argentina a crushing 6-1 defeat at Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium in a World
01:50Cup warm-up friendly. Isco starred with a hat-trick in one of the heaviest losses Argentina has suffered
01:55in recent history. Now, another chapter is about to be written. With the World Cup trophy on the line,
02:01Spain and Argentina renew their rivalry on football's biggest stage, where only one nation will be crowned
02:06world champion. And with the World Cup title on the line, Spain's Michael Merino admits that overcoming
02:12Lionel Messi and Argentina will be the toughest challenge for La Rocha's tournament. Leo is one
02:19of the greatest of all time. You only have to look at the career he's had and how well he's
02:24still
02:24performing at 39. I don't know if this will be his last match for the national team or his last
02:30final.
02:30With players like that, as I said about Cristiano,
02:33it's very difficult to predict their future because they continue to perform at such a high level.
02:39But anyway, it's a massive challenge and an incredible source of motivation for me and for us.
02:45Being able to play against a team like Argentina, who have won this before, makes the match even more
02:51important. And that's it. I'm just really happy to be able to experience these moments. I think it's going
02:57to be an intense match, just as it should be. It's a final. Both teams are playing for the biggest
03:02prize
03:03in football, winning the World Cup. And it's only natural that there'll be physical contact and
03:08intense battles, because when everything's at stake, that's the way it has to be.
03:16And as the countdown to the World Cup final continues, excitement is building in Madrid,
03:21where fans are dreaming of a Spanish triumph, but know they must first overcome defending champions,
03:26Argentina.
03:30I really enjoyed the last one. It was a great match. How do I picture it? With a lot of
03:35tension,
03:35there's going to be a lot of tension between the two teams because they fear each other.
03:42Spain plays very well. You have to admit it, they have a great team and they're strong mentally,
03:47but Argentina is Argentina always.
03:51I don't know. There might be the same surprise there was with France. We completely shut down the
03:56French team. But with Argentina, I don't know what's going to happen. I fear the worst. I fear an
04:02Argentina win. The Copa America champion and the Euro champion for the first time, the best players on
04:10the planet on the same field, and hopefully it stays home and Spain lifts the cup.
04:19And Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic was appointed to officiate the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
04:25FIFA announced that Vincic will take charge of the tournament's biggest match when Spain and Argentina
04:30meet for the title on Sunday, July 19th. He will become the first Slovenian referee to officiate a
04:35World Cup final and will oversee his fourth match of the tournament. Vincic will be assisted by
04:40fellow Slovenians Tomas Glansznik and Andras Kovacic as first and second assistant referees. Jordan's
04:47Adham Mahatmeh was named fourth official, while Confederate Mohamed Al-Khalaf will serve as the
04:55reserve assistant referee.
05:01So first of all, shock, then happiness. I was shaking. So it's a carnival honor to get the World Cup
05:11final.
05:12It's something that it's only a dream for a referee, for a young referee when it starts. So I'm very
05:20proud,
05:21very proud of myself, my team. And yes, I'm still like, you know, thoughts are too much. So refereeing is
05:36everything about the teamwork. So without them, without Tomas and Andras, this is not possible. So I'm
05:45really happy that I have them through all my career to our career. We are really a good friends team
05:52and thanks to
05:54thanks to them.
05:59For the first time in FIFA World Cup history, FIFA will award personalized championship rings the team crowned
06:05champions of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In a historic first for the tournament, football's governing body will present
06:11commemorative rings to the nation that wins the final between Spain and Argentina, adding them to
06:16the World Cup trophy and the traditional gold medals. The initiative brings one of the most iconic
06:21traditions in US sports into international football. A total of 2026 individually numbered rings will be
06:29produced to commemorate the 2026 tournament. 30 rings will be presented to the winning team, while the
06:35remaining 1,996 will be sold as official 2026 World Cup merchandise. Each win will feature the FIFA World
06:43Cup trophy on one side, with the opposite side customized to reflect the identity of the tournament's
06:50World Cup trophy on the World Cup trophy. In other news, the build-up to the World Cup final is
07:06inspiring more
07:06than just football fans. In Kakova, Kosovo, artist Alken Posegu created a unique tribute to Lionel Messi and
07:13Lamin Jamal. The artwork is a 150 kg mosaic made entirely of grains and seeds, featuring the faces of the
07:21two stars
07:21set to lead Argentina and Spain to the final. Posegu says the piece is inspired by iconic photographs of Messi
07:28and
07:28Jamal and represents the story that connects the two players. His goal is to express emotion through
07:34ephemeral art. Created thousands of kilometers from the World Cup, the mosaic has become a symbol of the final
07:41match. A celebration of two generations of football greatness, ready to meet on the biggest stage.
07:52This is all for this edition of Beyond the Game. The Bolsa Spear will be back with more in an
07:56upcoming
07:56segment. For now, we go back to you, Ale. Thank you very much, Ulisse, for keeping us posted in the
08:02final stretch of this World Cup. And after this special segment, we have come to the end of this
08:07Missing Brief. For Telesur English, I'm Alejandra García. Thank you for watching.
08:44You
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