The Finalissima match is between the Champions of the South American football tournament (Copa America) and the Champions of Europe tournament (Euro Championship). In 2026, the fixture would once again take place in March 2026. This time, it would be between the Argentina national team and the Spain national team.
As usual, the match provides an avenue where players with quality shine. In the 2026 edition, it is not going to be anything short. As such, this article will be highlighting four players that would influence the Finalissima 2026 match. You definitely don’t want to miss reading this.
Four Players Who Would Influence the Finalissima 2026 Match
These are four players that are likely to influence the Finalissima 2026 match:
1. Lionel Messi
If there’s one player whose action would influence the match, then it is Lionel Messi. However, Lionel Messi’s game play has evolved throughout the years. He has turned himself from a core dribbler to a playmaker. In this way, he has been able to save energy as the match progresses and strikes hard when the opportunity calls for it.
In the Finalissima match against Spain, this ability could prove to be very important. With Messi hanging around the midfield and beyond the main striker, he could attract Spain midfielders such as Rodri and Pedri to himself. As a result, this could create spaces between Spain’s midfield and defense therefore allowing Argentina players to operate without being marked tightly.
Even aside from the tactical approach, Lionel Messi has also developed to become a strong leader in the Argentina National team. His presence alone could give them the psychological board that they need to climb any mountain that the Spain national team would throw at them.
If you recall, this happened in the several tournaments that he has played with them. For instance, at the Copa América 2021, we’ve seen how Lionel Messi’s leadership carried Argentina through tight knockout games.
The same thing happened at the Qatar World Cup 2022, when the team gave their all especially in fakes against Netherlands and France just to see him win the FIFA World Cup trophy. So, this could play a huge part in making Argentina the Finalissima champions.
READ THIS: Here Are Four Teams That Could Win the 2026 FIFA World Cup
2. Rodri
In recent tournaments, Rodri has emerged as one of Spain’s most important players. He has become a well-known press resistant player and also a play maker for the Spain’s squad.
These qualities would surely shine when Spain plays Argentina in the Finalissima match in March 2026. Since he would be playing against a midfield of Enzo Fernández, Rodrigo De Paul, and Alexis Mac Allister, his press resistant skills would be really important.
One thing that makes Rodri special is his ability to lead the defense line of Spain. For many years now, Spain’s biggest weakness especially when they play big teams has been their vulnerability after losing possession.
With Rodri as a leader in that team, this has been reduced as they’ve been less times when Spain conceded goals from his errors. In the Finalissima match, Argentina would come out pressing and be looking to find passing lanes to exploit. So, Rodri would be demanded to be in his A-game when all of this happens.
3. Julián Álvarez
Another tactically intelligent player for Argentina that would cause problems for Spain is Julián Álvarez. Sometimes, it appears that his contributions to the Argentina side is invisible but Juliàn Àlvarez is one of the most hardworking players for the Argentina national team.
Julián Álvarez strength lies in his ability to start the pressing from the attack and even making vertical runs in the defense. For Spain, this could be trouble for them.
This is because Spain are a team that like to build from their defense line and then progress the ball to the midfield. Now, with Julián Álvarez always running at the defense line of Spain when they get the ball, that could give way for error. It could force the Spanish defenders to make errors while passing and this could lead to Spain conceding a goal.
In addition to his pressing ability, Julián Álvarez vertical runs is another area where Spain could suffer when they meet. The Spain national team is a team that likes to play high line in defense especially when they attack. With that high line, there is space that could be left behind. That’s where Julián Álvarez could exploit when the opportunity comes.
When he runs into the high line, it could give opportunities for players like Lionel Messi to take advantage of. In the Qatar World Cup 2022, that was exactly the script that was played when Argentina faced teams that played high line.
If you recall, against Croatia in the semi-final, it was noticed how Julián Álvarez constantly running into Croatia’s defense line led to goals for Argentina. So, Spain wants to be very careful when they face the Argentina national team. Julián Álvarez late runs might just prove to be the decider between these two teams.
4. Pedri
Pedri is yet another Spanish player who could be a huge threat to Argentina when they face off. With Pedri, Spain have a player that can pass the ball even when there are 2—3 players on him. This skill can seem easy but many players have found it difficult to deliver quality passes under pressure.
Along with that, Pedri strength also lies in using his body movement to dribble opponent players when they are close. In the 2026 Finalissima match against Argentina, it is expected that Argentina would want to defend in zones so Pedri could be able to use the small spaces to his advantage.
One can already imagine that when Enzo Fernandez or even Rodrigo De Paul tries to take the ball off him, Pedri can see the space and make a dangerous pass without them noticing. In addition, Pedri knows when to slow the game down and when to accelerate it. This was visible at Euro 2024 where Spain controlled matches by timing the moves of other players.
Conclusion
The Finalissima 2026 match would be an interesting match to watch. The two teams in questions are teams with incredible individual players and team work. So, there’s no doubt that the world should expect a cracker of a fixture when the two teams head out from the dugout in March 2026.