Spain enter Sunday’s 2026 World Cup final against Argentina as the betting favorite, a designation the numbers support with uncomfortable clarity. La Roja carry a 37-match unbeaten streak into the final at East Rutherford, N.J., having outscored tournament opponents 13-1 with six clean sheets in seven matches. FanDuel lists Spain at -154 to lift the trophy, with Argentina at +134.
The 90-minute money line tells a similar story: Spain +130, Argentina +260, draw +195. The over/under sits at 2.5 goals, and CBS Sports handicapper Martin Green — on a 20-9 roll with his World Cup picks — is leaning toward the under at -164. Spain’s defensive record dating to last September’s qualifying campaign reads 13 wins, four draws, four goals conceded. That is not a side that loses finals often.
Argentina, the defending champions, have outscored opponents 19-7 in the tournament and are making their seventh World Cup final appearance — their third in the last four competitions. Lionel Messi carries the shortest anytime-goal-scorer odds at +155, with Spain’s Lamine Yamal at +230. The two nations have met 14 times previously, splitting six wins apiece with two draws.
For France, the tournament ended Saturday in a 6-4 third-place playoff loss to England — a scoreline that looks more like a Big Five box score than a football result. Barcelona defender Jules Koundé started every France match except that third-place game, and afterward he was already pivoting toward club duty.
“What I hope for is to have a great season, to rest well first so I can come back stronger,” Koundé told DAZN. “To have a better season and help Barça as much as possible.”
Koundé had previously acknowledged he was below his standard last season for Barcelona and shut down speculation about a potential departure. He will take a break before rejoining the squad for pre-season.
On the Spanish side, a different Barcelona storyline hovers over the final. Backup goalkeeper Joan Garcia has not played a single minute at this World Cup, anchored behind Athletic Club’s Unai Simon, who set a tournament record for consecutive shutout minutes. Should Spain win, Garcia would become a world champion without featuring — mirroring Victor Valdés at the 2010 World Cup, when the Barcelona keeper spent the entire tournament behind Iker Casillas without seeing the
