Soccer Betting News This Week | The Final is Here Spain vs Argentina, Market Watch & Analysis | July 17, 2026

By Seb Blasco, Updated on: Jul 17, 2026 12:00 AM

We now know who will play in the 2026 World Cup Final. After 102 matches and countless twists and turns, Spain and Argentina will compete for the trophy on July 19.

But how did they get there?

Let’s take a look at what happened in this week’s massive World Cup semi-finals.

Luis de la Fuente’s Spain outthought and ultimately outclassed France in a game where the fabled French forwards failed to find the net for the first, and worst possible, time at this World Cup. A comfortable 2-0 win was a welcome surprise for the Spanish, with goals from Oyarzábal and Porro.

Argentina’s bid for a fourth World Cup continues after they saw off England late in Wednesday’s game in Atlanta.

England led from early in the second half until five minutes from the end of normal time, and will be kicking themselves for ceding initiative after their goal. Argentina did not need to be asked twice and a quickfire brace was enough to see them through to a second consecutive final.

The races for the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball both swung into Lionel Messi’s favor. He is odds on favorite for both prizes at the grand old age of 39.

For everything regarding the World Cup betting online, check out our World Cup page, which will also direct you to some of the best soccer sports betting sites around.

World Cup Final Wagers

Spain favored to win

Argentina to reach 20

Spain goal milestones

Yamal or Álvarez 2+

Spain is the -150 favorite after winning six consecutive matches and conceding only once across seven World Cup games. La Roja advanced to the final with a controlled 2-0 semifinal victory over France. Argentina is available at +130 after coming from behind to defeat England 2-1 in the semifinal. The defending champions have scored a tournament-leading 19 goals, but Spain’s outstanding defensive record makes this a fascinating matchup.

Argentina has already scored 19 goals in seven matches, more than any other team at the tournament. The -280 wager therefore needs Argentina to score only once against Spain to reach 20 total goals. Lionel Messi has led the attack with eight goals and four assists, while Argentina has scored 11 times during the knockout rounds. However, the Albiceleste must break down a Spanish defense that has allowed only one goal all tournament.

Spain enters the final with 13 tournament goals, meaning one more goal would cash the 14+ wager at -500. Two goals against Argentina would take Spain to 15 and settle the higher-paying +118 selection. La Roja has scored eight times across four knockout matches, including two goals against both Belgium and France. Mikel Oyarzabal leads Spain with five tournament goals, while the team’s wider attacking threat has made it difficult for opponents to focus on one scorer.

Lamine Yamal is +200 to finish the tournament with at least two goals after scoring his only goal against Saudi Arabia. He would need to score against Argentina to reach the two-goal mark. Julián Álvarez is +230 to reach two tournament goals after scoring against Switzerland in the quarterfinal. Four of his five career World Cup goals have come in knockout matches, giving him a strong record in high-pressure games.

Lionel Messi vs. Lamine Yamal in the World Cup Final.

Barcelona past and present 👏 pic.twitter.com/wh40wBsfcI

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 15, 2026

Final and bronze final previews

Let’s start with the big one!

Spain vs Argentina

Spain go into Sunday’s final as favorites over Argentina. The Iberians are priced -150 to defeat their fellow hispanophones. Argentina aren’t too far behind at +130 what promises to be a fascinating showpiece.

Spain have simmered nicely in this tournament after their surprise draw with Cape Verde in their group opener. A standout performance in the semi-final against France served as a statement win at just the right time.

The European champions have not thrilled in this tournament quite as they did en route to glory in 2024. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams were outstanding on the flanks in Germany two years ago, but neither arrived in North America at peak fitness and Spain have sought to slowly bleed them back into the lineup at this tournament.

Yamal has played more than Williams and has improved with each game here, but Williams came off the bench in the semi for his first minutes of the tournament. He will hope to add more on Sunday.

Spain’s command of possession is perhaps their outstanding quality, serving as a potent tool in both attack and defense. While their flexibility in midfield compensates for the absence on paper of an elite striker, Mikel Oyarzábal has a sensational scoring record in international football and has netted 5 goals at World Cup 2026.

Ballon D’Or winner and captain Rodri is second to none as a midfield lynchpin, ably assisted by Fabián Ruiz, and Dani Olmo further forward in Spain’s engine room. On the right, Lamine Yamal is a European champion and Ballon D’Or runner-up already at the tender age of 19.

Sin palabras 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/a0SCXT3Czr

— Fabián Ruiz (@FabianRP52) July 14, 2026

Meanwhile, Argentina’s main strength in this tournament has been their undying resolve not to lose, however desperate the circumstances may appear.

Epic knockout ties with Cape Verde, Egypt, Switzerland and England have given Argentina a bumpier ride to the final than that of Spain who have got through barely ceding a chance, though they did concede their only goal of the tournament in the quarter-final vs Belgium.

Argentina’s players seem to welcome the chaos of their performances, rising to the big moments and invariably emerging victorious.

Their coach Lionel Scaloni is looking to become the only international coach to win 4 major honors in his post, adding another World Cup to the 2022 title won in Qatar, and his two Copa America winner’s medals.

Lionel Messi will become the first man to lift consecutive World Cups as captain to add to the assortment of other records he has collected should Argentina defeat Spain. Should Messi score he will also join Vavá, Pelé, Paul Breitner, Zinedine Zidane and Kylian Mbappé as the sixth man to find the net in multiple World Cup finals.

For the first time ever, the reigning champions of South America and those of Europe will meet in the World Cup Final.

France vs England

The cross-Channel rivals will be far from delighted to travel to Miami for the newly named Bronze Final match.

Both exited the main draw with disappointing defeats in their respective semi-finals, after displaying varying degrees of promise in their prior knockout games.
France’s attack has been widely lauded this tournament and though they badly misfired vs Spain, that strength sees the French as clear favorites for this fixture at -205.

England are further out at +164 but it is worth noting for bettors that it is far from uncommon to see wholesale lineup changes in this fixture as coaches generally give tournament minutes to back-ups and squad players.

France coach Didier Deschamps will bid adieu to the national team after 14 years in charge of Les Bleus, and his players will no doubt be keen to give him a victorious farewell, albeit not in the match they were hoping to do so. The aforementioned Zidane, a World Cup winner as a teammate of Deschamps in 1998, is tipped to take over after the tournament.

This will be England’s last major tournament match before hosting the Euros in two years time. Though it is difficult to predict precisely who will play, and how long for, a victory here would be a small tonic for The Three Lions after the dejection of Wednesday.

Individual Awards

The gauntlet was thrown down from the first whistle in the battle for the 2026 Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player. Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi have dominated the conversation for both this award, and the Golden Ball for highest goalscorer, as they also did four years ago in Qatar.

🥺✋🏽 Kylian Mbappé goes to thank and say sorry to France fans, always taking responsibility.

8 goals, 20 total World Cup career goals at 27, a fantastic tournament for him. 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/4HxzLoQEEm

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2026

Both forwards have scored 8 goals in this tournament while Messi leads Mbappe in assists with 4 to the Frenchman’s 3. Each also has a match to play, albeit of vastly different profiles, so though Messi is odds-on favorite to win the award (-200) for the first time, Mbappe might still be a decent bet at +150 to win his second after topscoring at Qatar 2022. Mbappe’s opponents in the Bronze Final, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are perhaps still outside bets for top goalscorer as they sit on 6 goals each and are priced at +7000 and +12500 respectively.

Spain’s Mikel Oyarzábal has scored regularly this tournament, sitting on 5 goals going into the final, but he would need to score four in the final and hope his rivals draw blanks to take home the prize which seems fanciful at best, however fine a player he is.

The fact that Messi will play the final while Mbappe will contest for third place means that although the France captain may well end up top scorer, he is unlikely to win the Golden Ball. Winners of the Golden Ball tend to come from the winners of the tournament, or at least losing finalists, as Messi did in 2014 when he won his first.

Messi leads the way with odds of -750 to win an incredible third career World Cup Golden Ball, but he has a new challenger after Mbappe’s semi-final disappointment in the form of Spain captain Rodri, who sits at +750. Rodri is a Ballon D’Or winner himself like Messi, but it would take some showing in the final from the holding midfielder to wrest the Golden Ball from Messi’s grasp.

Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon was quietly immaculate against France and is a clear favorite to take home the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper. The Bilbao shotstopper has shipped a solitary goal at this World Cup and is odds-on at -750, but 2022 winner Emiliano Martinez is still in with a shout at +650.

Previous market updates

[July, 2026]: England bow out to the holders, who face a final vs Spain.
[July, 2026]: England through to the semi finals of the World Cup.
[July, 2026]: England through to quarter finals of the World Cup.
[July, 2026]: Spain through to last 16 of the World Cup.
[June, 2026]: Ecuador qualify for the knockout phase of the World Cup.
[June, 2026]: USMNT qualify for the knockout phase of the World Cup.
[June, 2026]: USMNT kicked off the World Cup with a 4-1 win against Paraguay.
[June, 2026]: Spain are favourites to win the World Cup.
[May 28, 2026]: PSG edged into slight favouritism for the Champions League final in Budapest, with Arsenal still close behind.
[May 27, 2026]: England's World Cup squad announcement caused a stir after several big-name omissions, while they remained among the main contenders.
[May 25, 2026]: Spain stayed near the top of the World Cup outright market despite injury concerns around key players.
[May 22, 2026]: Norway gained traction as a popular dark horse ahead of the World Cup, led by Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard.
[April 15, 2026]: Arsenal entered the Champions League quarter-final market as +225 favourites.
[Early February 2026]: Arsenal moved to -500 favourites to win the Premier League following a dominant winter run.
[December 2025]: Arsenal slipped to -145 in the title market after a rash of injuries disrupted their momentum.

Soccer Betting News FAQ

The current Ballon D’Or holder is Ousmane Dembele of France and PSG, though there are several other past winners who are still active. These include eight-time winner and Argentina captain Lionel Messi, Spain and Man City midfielder Rodri, Luka Modric of Milan and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal.

Kylian Mbappe has never won the Ballon D’Or but is widely regarded as the best forward of his generation with Norwegian Erling Haaland, who has not yet claimed the individual prize either.

Meet the author

Seb Blasco

Seb Blasco has a background spanning journalism, sports betting, and filmmaking. After earning a degree in sports business with a focus on European football, he began his career as a sport betting analyst, working with major broadcasters and sports betting firms. More r...