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Trump, Infantino declare World Cup a success before Argentina-Spain final: ‘America has won’
Spain squad
- Full squad
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1 David RAYA Goalkeeper
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2 Marc PUBILL Defender
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3 Alex GRIMALDO Defender
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4 Eric GARCIA Defender
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5 Marcos LLORENTE Defender
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6 Mikel MERINO Midfielder
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7 Ferran TORRES Forward
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8 Fabian RUIZ Midfielder
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9 GAVI Midfielder
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10 Dani OLMO Forward
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11 Yeremy PINO Forward
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12 Pedro PORRO Defender
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13 Joan GARCIA Goalkeeper
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14 Aymeric LAPORTE Defender
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15 Alex BAENA Midfielder
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16 RODRI Midfielder
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17 Nico WILLIAMS Forward
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18 Martin ZUBIMENDI Midfielder
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19 Lamine YAMAL Forward
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20 PEDRI Midfielder
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21 Mikel OYARZABAL Forward
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22 Pau CUBARSI Defender
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23 Unai SIMON Goalkeeper
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24 Marc CUCURELLA Defender
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25 Victor MUNOZ Forward
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26 Borja IGLESIAS Forward
Argentina squad
- Full squad
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1 Juan MUSSO Goalkeeper
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2 Marcos SENESI Defender
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3 Nicolas TAGLIAFICO Defender
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4 Gonzalo MONTIEL Defender
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5 Leandro PAREDES Midfielder
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6 Lisandro MARTINEZ Defender
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7 Rodrigo DE PAUL Midfielder
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8 Valentin BARCO Midfielder
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9 Julian ALVAREZ Forward
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10 Lionel MESSI Forward
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11 Giovani Lo Celso Midfielder
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12 Geronimo RULLI Goalkeeper
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13 Cristian ROMERO Defender
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14 Exequiel PALACIOS Midfielder
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15 Nico GONZALEZ Midfielder
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16 Thiago ALMADA Forward
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17 Giuliano SIMEONE Forward
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18 Nico PAZ Forward
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19 Nicolas OTAMENDI Defender
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20 Alexis MAC ALLISTER Midfielder
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21 Jose Manuel LOPEZ Forward
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22 Lautaro MARTINEZ Forward
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23 Emiliano MARTINEZ Goalkeeper
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24 Enzo FERNANDEZ Midfielder
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25 Facundo MEDINA Defender
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26 Nahuel MOLINA Defender
With roughly 48 hours to go before Argentina and Spain contest the final, US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino declared the 2026 World Cup a resounding success, crediting close cooperation between FIFA and the US government. The tournament marks the first time the United States has hosted football's biggest event since 1994, and its scale and organisation are being held up as a marker of America's ability to stage major global sporting events.
The US staged matches at 11 of the tournament's 16 venues, including all of the quarterfinals, semi-finals and the upcoming final. Trump and Infantino both praised the smooth running of the event, with Infantino singling out the Trump administration's support in helping deliver the tournament. Attention now turns to Sunday's final between Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, and Spain, featuring Lamine Yamal.
In short
- Trump and Infantino hailed the 2026 World Cup a big success
- US hosted 11 of 16 venues, all knockout rounds from quarters onward
- Argentina face Spain in Sunday's final
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The World Cup's smooth operation across multiple American venues demonstrates a genuine achievement reflecting American capacity to organise major global sporting events, and acknowledging the Trump administration's facilitative role in government-FIFA cooperation is appropriate. Such tournaments require extensive coordination on security, infrastructure, logistics and regulation, making effective government partnership genuinely essential to success. The infrastructure investments and international prestige that result from well-executing such an event deliver lasting benefits.
The case against
Politicising a World Cup by having national leaders declare their country has "won" risks undermining sport's unifying value and obscuring the genuine contributions of FIFA, volunteers, local organisers and participating nations. Government support for international sporting events should remain professionally discreet; credit-taking by political figures represents an inappropriate conflation of politics and sport, particularly when success is declared before assessing the tournament's full social and environmental impacts.
Explained simply
The FIFA World Cup is the world's most prestigious international football tournament, contested every four years by national teams for the global championship. The 2026 World Cup is taking place in the United States, which is hosting for the first time since 1994.
Hosting a World Cup is a major undertaking that spans multiple cities and venues, requiring extensive coordination between government, sports organisations and local authorities. Successfully delivering the tournament is seen as a demonstration of a nation's organisational capabilities and standing on the global stage.
Argentina and Spain will contest the championship match on Sunday, with Argentina featuring Lionel Messi and Spain including young player Lamine Yamal. The winner of this final will become the new world champion.