Spain has already booked its spot in the dugout for the FIFA World CUP 2026 final on 19 July (Bangladesh time 20 July) at New Jersey stadium. Now, they await their opponents, who will be decided today in the second semi-final between Argentina and England.
While Spain has no control over which team wins, they can certainly have a personal preference. That was the question put to Spain coach Luis de la Fuente. After his side's commanding 2-0 victory over France, the Spanish manager revealed that, given the choice, he would prefer to face Argentina in the final.
Argentina are the 2022 World Cup winners and the reigning champions of South America's premier tournament, the Copa América. Spain, meanwhile, are the current European champions. Had venue complications not arisen, the two continental champions were scheduled to face each other a few months ago.
However, these are not the reasons why the Spain coach wants Argentina as his final opponents. His preference stems from his friendship with Lionel Scaloni. The Argentina manager once completed his coaching badge at the Royal Spanish Football Federation, where De la Fuente was his instructor.
Yet, despite wanting Argentina, the Spain coach is not taking England lightly. In his view, both teams are worthy finalists, “I’d be excited to play against Argentina because of the friendship I have with Scaloni, but I also have tremendous respect for England's potential—they would be a very tough opponent as well. For the first time in history, the four best national teams in the FIFA rankings have reached the semifinals.”
Meanwhile, ahead of the semi-final against England, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni returned the praise during his press conference, “I am very happy for Luis. He deserves this. He is a wonderful person who has always helped me. Let's see what happens next. He absolutely deserves this success.”
When asked if he would call De la Fuente, Scaloni smiled and said, “We'll see what happens. Am I going to call him? Depending on how things go, I'll call him. If we win, no. If we lose, I'll try to help him out. Hopefully there won't be any need to call him until after the final.”