The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup concludes on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, on the outskirts of New Jersey and New York, with a historic encounter between reigning champions Argentina and Spain. It marks the first time that the reigning European champions and Copa América holders have met in a World Cup final.

Spain are chasing their second World Cup title, having won their first in South Africa in 2010. Argentina, meanwhile, are aiming to draw level with Germany and Italy on four World Cup triumphs, leaving only record five-time champions Brazil ahead of them.

Argentina are appearing in their seventh World Cup final, having lost in 1930, 1990 and 2014 to Uruguay, West Germany and Germany respectively, while lifting the trophy in 1978, 1986 and 2022 against the Netherlands, West Germany and France.

Argentina will once again rely on Lionel Messi, who shares the tournament's top scorer honours with France's Kylian Mbappé on eight goals and is the World Cup's all-time leading scorer with 21 goals. Spain, meanwhile, hope their gifted 19-year-old star Lamine Yamal can decide the contest without the need for extra time or a penalty shoot-out.

European nations have won the World Cup 12 times, with Germany and Italy claiming four titles each, France two, and Spain and England one apiece. South American teams have lifted the trophy 10 times through just three countries: Brazil (five), Argentina (three) and Uruguay (two).

Spain have conceded just one goal throughout the tournament and have never fallen behind in any match, becoming the first team to keep six clean sheets in a single World Cup.

Their defensive solidity, combined with clinical attacking play, has defined their run to the final, highlighted by a 2-0 victory over 2018 champions and 2022 runners-up France in Tuesday's semi-final in Dallas.

A surprising goalless draw against Cape Verde in their opening match initially raised doubts over Spain's credentials, but six consecutive victories have silenced those concerns.

After eliminating Austria, Portugal, Belgium and France in the knockout stages, Spain now stand one victory away from making history. The team are unbeaten in their last 37 matches (27 wins and 10 draws in regulation time). Victory would not only establish the longest unbeaten run ever by a European national team but also deliver a sixth major title from seven finals.

Argentina, meanwhile, produced another dramatic comeback in Wednesday's semi-final in Atlanta, overturning a deficit to defeat England 2-1 and reach their seventh World Cup final, with a record of three titles and three runners-up finishes. Only Germany have appeared in more finals, with eight.

The South Americans have needed either extra time or a comeback after the 75th minute in each of their four knockout matches, but that has done little to slow a side that has now won 14 consecutive matches, equalling the South American record.

With such momentum, it is no surprise that Argentina have reached their third World Cup final in the last four editions. They are seeking to become only the third nation to successfully defend the title, following Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962).

To achieve that, however, they must overcome the recent curse of reigning champions, as each of the last three defending World Cup winners to reach the following final has been defeated.

The two nations have met 14 times, with six victories each and two draws. Argentina won their only previous World Cup meeting 2-1 in 1966.

Their most recent encounter ended in a resounding 6-1 victory for Spain in a friendly international in 2018. It was one of three Spanish wins in their last four meetings with Argentina during the 21st century, with Argentina winning the other.