The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) has officially declared the Argentine national football team as the champions of the 2026 Finalissima. This significant announcement comes in the wake of the anticipated final match between Argentina and Spain, originally scheduled for late March, being canceled by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
Initially, the high-profile encounter, set to feature the reigning champions of South America and Europe, was planned to take place in Qatar. However, the venue became unfeasible due to broader geopolitical tensions in the region. Subsequent efforts to secure an alternative host nation proved fruitless, largely due to ongoing disagreements between CONMEBOL and UEFA. UEFA advocated for the match to be held in Spain, a proposal that CONMEBOL and the Argentine team firmly rejected, insisting on a neutral venue. CONMEBOL then put forward Italy as a neutral location and proposed a revised date, shifting the fixture from March 27 to March 31. This counter-proposal, however, was in turn rejected by UEFA. With no suitable resolution reached by either side, the Finalissima—intended to pit the winners of the Copa América 2024 against the UEFA Euro 2024 champions—ultimately could not proceed.
CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez recently confirmed Argentina’s status, stating unequivocally that Argentina had claimed the 2026 Finalissima title due to Spain’s inability to participate in the canceled fixture. During a live broadcast on La Red radio on March 20th, Dominguez remarked, “The Argentina football team is now a two-time Finalissima champion because Spain could not participate.”
The Finalissima is an intercontinental competition that traditionally brings together the champions of South America and Europe. Argentina previously secured the trophy in 2022, triumphing over Italy with a decisive 3-0 victory at Wembley Stadium in England.
The decision and subsequent cancellation drew strong reactions from the Argentine camp. Claudio Tapia, President of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), expressed profound disappointment, perceiving Spain’s actions as a lack of respect for his team. He conveyed his frustration on social media, writing, “We knew Spain would have a match in Barcelona on March 31. To be frank, there’s no difference between traveling to Barcelona or Italy on the same day.” This statement highlighted the AFA’s belief that Spain could have accommodated the rescheduled match.
For their part, the Spanish national team had already arranged friendly matches against Serbia and Egypt to be played on home soil following the original Finalissima date. Meanwhile, after the cancellation by Spain and UEFA, Argentina swiftly organized replacement friendly fixtures on home ground, scheduling a match against Mauritania on March 27th and another against Guatemala on March 31st.
