Lionel Messi Set for Historic Third World Cup Final and Golden Ball Award

A Historic Milestone in Captaincy

The achievement places Messi in a category of his own among the sport’s greatest legends. Previous icons have failed to reach this specific milestone for various reasons: Pele missed the 1962 final due to injury, Ronaldo Nazario did not start in the 1994 final, and German legends Lothar Matthaus and Pierre Littbarski did not start in their respective final appearances in 1982 and 1986. Additionally, the final features a significant age gap on the pitch, as Messi and Spain’s Lamine Yamal represent the oldest and youngest players to start a World Cup final, with a 20-year difference between them. While former Brazilian captain Cafu participated in three finals, he did not start the 1994 match, leaving Messi as the sole record-holder for starting as captain in three separate finals.

Golden Ball Award Confirmed

According to an exclusive report from *The Touchline*, the FIFA Technical Committee met on July 17 and determined that Messi will be awarded the “Golden Ball” for the 2026 World Cup. The committee decided that the award, which honors the most outstanding player of the tournament, will be presented to Messi regardless of the outcome of the final match against Spain. This will mark the third time in his career that Messi has received the Golden Ball, having previously won the honor in 2014 and 2022. The award is determined by a voting process involving FIFA-accredited journalists, and it is not strictly reserved for players on the winning team. For example, Luka Modric received the award in 2018 despite Croatia’s loss to France.

View this post on Instagram about Golden Ball Award, Lamine Yamal

For more on this story, see Lionel Messi once bathed a baby Lamine Yamal for a photoshoot. Now they’ll meet again in the World Cup final..

The Race for Scoring Records

While the Golden Ball is secured, Messi remains in a high-stakes competition with Kylian Mbappe for the tournament’s top-scoring honors. Following a brace against England in the third-place match, Mbappe currently leads the Golden Boot race with 10 goals in the 2026 tournament and a total of 22 goals across his World Cup career. Messi enters the final with 8 goals in the 2026 tournament and 21 career World Cup goals. To claim the Golden Boot, he would need to score three goals against Spain to surpass Mbappe’s total of 10. To equal the all-time World Cup scoring record of 22 goals, he needs one goal; two goals would move him to 23 and sole possession of the record.

This follows our earlier report, England and Argentina Set for World Cup 2026 Semi-Final Clash.

Final Preparations and Team Outlook

The final, scheduled for 2:00 a.m. (Vietnam time) on July 20, 2026, presents a tactical challenge for both sides. Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has been finalizing his lineup, with Rodrigo De Paul expected to return to the starting midfield alongside Enzo Fernandez, Leandro Paredes, and Alexis Mac Allister. Spain, led by coach Luis de la Fuente, has displayed a defensive strength that has seen them concede only one goal throughout the tournament. The expected starting lineups for the final are as follows:

Read also: Messi: Argentina’s Group Secures Historic Legacy Before Spain Final.

Team	Expected Starting Lineup
Argentina	Dibu Martinez; Montiel, Cuti Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Tagliafico; De Paul, Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Paredes; Messi, Julian Alvarez
Spain	Unai Simon; Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Fabian Ruiz, Rodri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena; Mikel Oyarzabal

Regardless of the final score, Messi’s performance in the 2026 tournament—having contributed to 12 of Argentina’s goals through 8 goals and 4 assists—has already solidified his status in the tournament’s history.