We’ve seen our fair share of Nostradamus-esque predictions over the years, but one fan on X may genuinely have access to a crystal ball.
Back in 2021, when X was still called Twitter, fans were living in a world where Lionel Messi had yet to win a FIFA World Cup, and the name ‘Lamine Yamal’ wasn’t known outside of the halls of La Masia.
But somehow, one fan predicted that Argentina and Spain would clash in the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and their prediction has come true.
Football fan predicted Argentina beat Spain 3-2 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final in 2021
Back on July 12, 2021, an X user by the name dilemma made a bold prediction about the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, which was five years away.
“Argentina just beat Spain at the 2026 World Cup final, 3-2.”
While some might believe this prediction came out of nowhere, the exact timing of this post on X is quite interesting.
The post was made a little less than 24 hours after Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, defeated Brazil to win the 2021 Copa America tournament.
This win marked the first international trophy of Messi’s Argentina career, as he helped close out a win against Brazil at the Maracana.
Fans will remember that the Maracana also hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup final, where Argentina lost 1-0 to Germany. So for Messi to earn his first trophy at the stadium felt like him exorcising demons of the past.
On the other hand, Spain were coming off a strong run to the semi-final of the 2020 Euros (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), where they were bested by eventual winners Italy.
That Spanish squad featured just a handful of players in the current side, including Rodri, Pedri, Unai Simon, Aymeric Laporte, Marcos Llorente, Eric Garcia, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres, and Mikel Oyarzabal.
So the foundational pieces that both sides have relied on in the 2026 World Cup were present in the squad.
Of course, it should be mentioned that the Spanish side had yet to see Lamine Yamal make his debut, as he was just 14 years of age at the time.
For fans of Argentina and Messi, the prediction of the scoreline will be even more encouragement beyond the fixture, as they could be set to see the GOAT lift his second World Cup trophy if this prediction comes true.
2026 FIFA World Cup final presents Lionel Messi another opportunity to exorcise past demons
The storybook narrative of the final between Argentina and Spain has been provided yet another strong chapter, one that revolves around Lionel Messi.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Fans will remember that 10 years ago, the same stadium was the site of the 2016 Copa America final.
It was a rematch of the previous year’s final (the 2016 edition was a special 100-year celebration of the tournament) between Argentina and Chile, in which Chile emerged victorious.
For Messi, it was a chance to redeem himself for the prior year’s failure. Unfortunately, that redemption never came, as Messi missed a crucial penalty in the shootout, allowing Chile to win the tournament yet again.
For many, that loss was the lowest point of Messi’s international career. The fans of the Albiceleste heavily criticised him for not being able to bring them glory like the great Diego Maradona had.
The loss was so devastating for Lionel Messi that he announced his retirement from international football just hours after the game. At the time, it looked like it would be his last game in an Argentina jersey.
This retirement, as we know now, didn’t last long, as Messi would don the blue and white of Argentina soon after, helping them narrowly escape the qualifying stages and reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
And now, 10 years later, after having won every possible trophy in international football with Argentina, including a FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi could be playing his final game with the Albiceleste at the MetLife stadium yet again.
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