Argentina vs Spain: The 1966 Group Game That Started It All

Argentina and Spain will face each other in the 2026 World Cup final on Sunday, yet according to The Guardian, the two nations have met just once before at a World Cup, in the 1966 group stage at Villa Park in England.

Argentina won that encounter 2-1, with striker Luis Artime described at the time by The Guardian's own correspondent as an "irrepressible" force in the match.

The rarity of this fixture makes Sunday's final all the more historic. Two of the heavyweights of world football, who have somehow avoided each other across decades of World Cups, will now meet with the biggest prize in the sport on the line.