Spain vs Argentina: Rodri ready for ‘physical’ World Cup final battle

18 July 2026 — South Africa Blog — Press conference, Manhattan, New York

Spain vs Argentina: Rodri ready for ‘physical’: Spain captain Rodri is bracing for a “physical” battle with reigning champions Argentina when the two sides collide in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, who has excelled at the heart of Spain’s midfield throughout the tournament, told a packed press conference on Friday in Manhattan that Spain will aim to ignore any possible “provocations” by their South American opponents and instead concentrate on imposing their own game plan.

“I think Sunday’s match will be quite different. It 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. So we can adapt to having to defend, counter-attacking, to attacking. We are a very complete team, and that is why we are here.”— Rodri, Spain captain, pre-final press conference

When asked whether he expected Argentina to resort to “provocative” tactics, Rodri was measured.“Well, that’s a part of football. We will see how the game plays out. I like to think that Argentina are a national team that gives their utmost, and they on’t go down that route. But if we enter such a stage of the game, obviously we must ignore that and try to play our game, so that we don’t fall into provocations.”— Rodri

Rodri on Messi: ‘The greatest of all time’

The Spanish skipper paid tribute to Argentina counterpart Lionel Messi — almost certainly playing in the final World Cup match of his career — while warning that La Albiceleste were far more than a one-man team.

“It goes beyond words what Messi means as a player and what he means for Argentina. Obviously, for me, he’s the greatest of all times. But Argentina is far more than Messi. They’ve proven that they’re a very complete team with top players. So of course, we need to be mindful of Leo, but many other players.”— Rodri

Argentina reached Sunday’s final via one of the tournament’s most dramatic knockout runs: extra time against Cape Verde, a comeback from 2-0 down against Egypt, and a late turnaround against England. Rodri acknowledged the resilience this demonstrated.

“That speaks volumes for their very competitive character as a national team. They are able to come back in the face of adversity, and we take that into consideration.”— Rodri

Raising the level for the biggest game

Spain reached the final by stunning tournament favourites France 2-0 in the semi-final, shutting down Les Bleus’ attack and dominating the midfield battle. Rodri acknowledged the performance was one of the team’s best, but said the standard must rise further on Sunday.

“We know the sort of team they are. We will try to hurt them in the way we can hurt them. “I think we have to raise the level because they are the champions. And I’m really confident that we can do it.”— Rodri

The Spain vs Argentina World Cup final kicks off at 22:00 EAT on Sunday, 19 July 2026 at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is the 104th match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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