Argentina chase back-to-back World Cup glory; Spain pursue second triumph since maiden 2010 victory
\n New Jersey
\nSpain and Argentina prepared to do battle in the World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday as organisers said they were keeping a close eye on smoke from wildfires in Canada.
\nLionel Messi\u2019s Argentina are bidding to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups, while Spain are trying to win a second title after their maiden victory in 2010.
\nOrganisers said they were \u201cmonitoring closely\u201d the smoke that has choked skies over large areas of the United States.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s been discussion about it, and we have somebody with the National Weather Service that sits in Fifa headquarters there, so we\u2019re monitoring closely,\u201d Andrew Giuliani, White House World Cup task force executive director, told a briefing.
\nUS President Donald Trump will be among a crowd of over 80,000 spectators as the largest World Cup in history reaches its climax at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
\nIt will be the only game of the tournament that Trump will have attended.
\nMexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she would also attend the final after an invitation from the American president.
\nTrump on Friday hailed the World Cup, also played in Mexico and Canada, as \u201cthe most successful sporting event perhaps in the history of the world\u201d as he held a reception in New York with Fifa chief Gianni Infantino.<\/p>\n
Physical battle
\nSpain captain Rodri said he was bracing for a \u201cphysical\u201d battle with Argentina and would aim to ignore any possible \u201cprovocations\u201d.
\nRodri, the 2024 Ballon D\u2019Or winner, said he expected the final to be unlike any other game the European champions had faced.
\n\u201cI think Sunday\u2019s match will be quite different,\u201d the Manchester City star told reporters.
\n\u201cIt will be a more physical one, and we must be prepared. But I believe that if we are known for something in this national team, it is that we know how to play different games based on the moment.
\n\u201cSo we can adapt to having to defend, counter-attacking, to attacking. We are a very complete team, and that is why we are here.\u201d
\nWhen asked if he expected Argentina to resort to \u201cprovocative\u201d tactics, Rodri replied: \u201cWell, that\u2019s a part of football.\u201d
\nArgentina coach Lionel Scaloni urged fans to make the most of seeing Messi lead out his team in another World Cup final at the age of 39.
\n\u201cHe has made history. He is a legend,\u201d Scaloni said of the former Barcelona player, who helped Argentina to win the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
\nEngland arrived in Miami to play France on Saturday in the meeting of the beaten semi-finalists to determine who finishes third.
\nEngland coach Thomas Tuchel admitted that their 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the semi-final had been painful.
\n\u201cWe have to live with this, so it\u2019s our pain, my pain and the players\u2019 pain \u2014 we feel the most pain of all,\u201d Tuchel said at a press conference.
\n\u201cAnd it is our scar that we carry now. It is a very painful defeat, and we have to live with this defeat, first and foremost, not the critics, not the experts, not our family members who suffer as well with us and want only the best for us, but it\u2019s basically us.\u201d
\nFrance coach Didier Deschamps vowed that no tears would be shed as he prepares to take charge of his final World Cup match with Les Bleus.
\n\u201cI know that the final curtain falls tomorrow,\u201d Deschamps said on Friday.
\n\u201cNo one here is going to cry, but I know I\u2019ll miss the French team. For 15 years (he was appointed in 2012), I had the privilege of experiencing moments that were magical and others that were difficult. \u201c
\nDeschamps\u2019 talented team were favourites to win a third World Cup but lost 2-0 to Spain in the semi-finals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Argentina chase back-to-back World Cup glory; Spain pursue second triumph since maiden 2010 victory New Jersey Spain and Argentina prepared to do battle in the World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday as organisers said they were keeping a close eye on smoke from wildfires in Canada. Lionel Messi\u2019s Argentina are bidding to become […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":557122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-557101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n