NEW YORK, USA: The first half of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 19, ended goalless. Spain were the more dominant of the two sides on offer, constantly challenging the Argentinian defence. The numbers were in favour of La Roja, too, as they ended the half with 65% possession.
Luis de la Fuente’s men made good use of this as they took three shots in total, of which two were on target. In comparison, Argentina, despite having Lionel Messi in their ranks, took no shots whatsoever. Spain also made seven touches in their opponents’ box, whereas La Albiceleste made none. Spain had the upper hand when it came to passing as well, boasting an accuracy of 90% while Argentina’s corresponding number was 79%.
Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez was the first player to be booked in this FIFA World Cup final
As was expected, the first half of this FIFA World Cup final saw many fouls – seven committed by Spain and nine by Argentina. However, Lisandro Martinez was the only player booked for a challenge on Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal in the 41st minute. Soon afterwards, the Manchester United central defender appeared to pull his hamstring and asked to be taken off the pitch.
This brought his involvement in the final to a premature end. Spain’s superior xG coefficient of 0.23 will worry Argentina, whose corresponding coefficient is 0. Chasing their fourth FIFA World Cup title, Argentina have to pull off a miracle to turn things around in the second half, while Spain merely need to be consistent and retain their momentum.
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