Argentina and Spain share a bond of blood and goodwill. When the two countries meet in the 2026 World Cup final on Sunday, many will be torn between which of these Spanish-speaking nations to support. This dilemma is particularly emotional.

Juan Manuel Posada, 75, has lived in Buenos Aires since 1968. He is of Spanish descent. “I can’t say who I’m going to support in the final,” he says.

The final in New Jersey will be the first since 1930 in which both teams are Spanish-speaking. A similar occasion arose in the 1930 World Cup, when host Uruguay faced Argentina in the decisive match in Montevideo. Uruguay won 4-2. 

Fun fact: Buenos Aires was founded by none other than a Spaniard. He was Pedro de Mondoza. He founded the city in the mid-16th century. The war of independence that Argentina fought did not adversely affect the relationship between the two countries. In particular, the influence of Spain remained in this new country as Argentina. That influence was culturally strong. In particular, in the first half of the 20th century, a large number of Spanish immigrants arrived in Argentina and stayed there forever.

The same Posada says, ‘I feel like I only arrived in Argentina yesterday. My heart is still in Spain. If Spain wins in the final, I will be happy. Even if Argentina wins, I will not be sad.’ He is a supporter of Sporting Gijon.

Manuel Fernández Aceveda is 81 years old. He left Spain for Argentina at a young age. Later, his daughter and grandchildren were born in Argentina. He is also in dilemma and says very diplomatically, ‘May the team that can play well win in the final. If Spain wins, it's good, if Argentina wins, it's even better.'

Not only are these two countries closely related in literature, food and music, they are almost identical. A similar similarity  is also found in football, between Spain and Argentina. What a coincidence, the Argentine players Alfredo Di Stefano and Lionel Messi have left a big mark on Spanish football. Moreover, Stefano is one of the biggest names in Real Madrid and Messi is one of the biggest names in Barcelona.

Meanwhile, an incredible fact is that there is no rivalry between these two countries in football. The history of the World Cup is about to reach a hundred years, but Spain and Argentina have only played one match so far. This occasion was in the 1966 World Cup. The Argentine team won that. But the story of the final will be different.

Posada says again, 'My Argentine grandson just made me a strange proposal today. If Spain wins the final, he will wear the Spanish jersey and carry the Spanish flag and celebrate. No, if Argentina wins, I will have to wear the Argentine jersey and carry the flag and celebrate too.'

During the Argentine dictatorship between 1976 and 1983, the country's economic situation was very bad. There was also severe repression. As a result, thousands of Argentines reached Spain and stayed there.

According to a statistic from 2025, there are more than 450,000 Spanish people who were born in Argentina. The final will be special for them too. "This is a football competition in which there will be respect for both sides. We are of course two different countries, but above all, we are brothers. We will all watch the final together as friends. It seems like there can be no more fun World Cup for us, because Argentina and Spain have reached the final.’