World Cup final data pointers: Spain’s defensive record and Argentina’s attack
Spain squad
- Full squad
-
1 David RAYA
Goalkeeper -
2 Marc PUBILL
Defender -
3 Alex GRIMALDO
Defender -
4 Eric GARCIA
Defender -
5 Marcos LLORENTE
Defender -
6 Mikel MERINO
Midfielder -
7 Ferran TORRES
Forward -
8 Fabian RUIZ
Midfielder -
9 GAVI
Midfielder -
10 Dani OLMO
Forward -
11 Yeremy PINO
Forward -
12 Pedro PORRO
Defender -
13 Joan GARCIA
Goalkeeper -
14 Aymeric LAPORTE
Defender -
15 Alex BAENA
Midfielder -
16 RODRI
Midfielder -
17 Nico WILLIAMS
Forward -
18 Martin ZUBIMENDI
Midfielder -
19 Lamine YAMAL
Forward -
20 PEDRI
Midfielder -
21 Mikel OYARZABAL
Forward -
22 Pau CUBARSI
Defender -
23 Unai SIMON
Goalkeeper -
24 Marc CUCURELLA
Defender -
25 Victor MUNOZ
Forward -
26 Borja IGLESIAS
Forward
Argentina squad
- Full squad
-
1 Juan MUSSO
Goalkeeper -
2 Marcos SENESI
Defender -
3 Nicolas TAGLIAFICO
Defender -
4 Gonzalo MONTIEL
Defender -
5 Leandro PAREDES
Midfielder -
6 Lisandro MARTINEZ
Defender -
7 Rodrigo DE PAUL
Midfielder -
8 Valentin BARCO
Midfielder -
9 Julian ALVAREZ
Forward -
10 Lionel MESSI
Forward -
11 Giovani Lo Celso
Midfielder -
12 Geronimo RULLI
Goalkeeper -
13 Cristian ROMERO
Defender -
14 Exequiel PALACIOS
Midfielder -
15 Nico GONZALEZ
Midfielder -
16 Thiago ALMADA
Forward -
17 Giuliano SIMEONE
Forward -
18 Nico PAZ
Forward -
19 Nicolas OTAMENDI
Defender -
20 Alexis MAC ALLISTER
Midfielder -
21 Jose Manuel LOPEZ
Forward -
22 Lautaro MARTINEZ
Forward -
23 Emiliano MARTINEZ
Goalkeeper -
24 Enzo FERNANDEZ
Midfielder -
25 Facundo MEDINA
Defender -
26 Nahuel MOLINA
Defender
Spain and Argentina will contest a historic World Cup final between Europe's and South America's respective champions. Both nations rank among the world's elite international teams, with Spain's 37-game unbeaten record and Argentina's 14-consecutive wins marking them as the tournament's most successful campaigns through defensive solidity and attacking momentum.
The statistical narrative centres on Spain's fortress defence against Argentina's clinical efficiency. Spain has restricted opponents to 2.15 expected goals across the tournament—a defensive benchmark no other quarter-finalist has approached—yet Argentina remains the only team to shadow this performance, conceding nearly the same total. Argentina's consistent outperformance of their expected goal models suggests that conventional defensive analysis may understate their offensive threat, making the final competitive despite favourable computer predictions for Spain.
- Spain has achieved the tournament's exceptional defensive record, conceding just 0.31 expected goals per match across seven games
- Argentina has outperformed their expected goals metrics more than any other quarter-finalist, suggesting clinical finishing
- Statistical analysis indicates a closer final than bookmaker predictions; Opta favours Spain but tournament data suggests it's highly competitive