2026 FIFA WORLD CUP  PREVIEW: THE LA ROJA OF SPAIN WELCOMES THE SKY BLUE OF ARGENTINA TO THE METLIFE STADIUM

By: Isaac Amponsah (Dr Ike)

Predictions: Home win/draw

• 48 nations dared to dream, but only 2 remain. The Final is locked in as Spam welcome Argentina to MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, in the United States for the Final fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday, July 19, 2026. 

• For the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup tournament, the reigning UEFA European Champions will face the reigning CONMEBOL Copa America Champions in the Final. 

• The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the 23rd edition since the tournament's inception in 1930, and this edition started on June 11 to July 19, 2026. It marks the 17th appearance for Spain and the 19th appearance for Argentina.

• The tournament is the first time the FIFA World Cup is hosted by three nations: Mexico, Canada and the United States. It was jointly hosted by sixteen cities - three in Mexico, two in Canada and eleven in the United States. As the host nations, Mexico, Canada and the United States all automatically qualified.

• Since the maiden edition in 1930, nineteen (19) countries have hosted the FIFA World Cup tournament.

• The 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup is the first time Canada has hosted or co-hosted the tournament, the second time the United States has hosted the tournament (1994 and 2026), and Mexico is the first country to have hosted the tournament three times (1970, 1986, 2026).

• Since the maiden edition of the FIFA World Cup in 1930, only 84 national teams have competed in the tournament. Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan made their debut appearances at the tournament this season.

• The trophy has been won by only eight (8) national teams, with Brazil being the most successful country with 5 titles, followed by Germany and Italy with 4 titles, the defending champions, Argentina with 3 titles, France and inaugural winner Uruguay, each with 2 titles, and England and Spain, with 1 each.  

• The FIFA World Cup tournament has been held every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except 1942 and 1946 due to World War II. The reigning champions are Argentina, who won their third title at the 2022 FIFA World Cup by defeating France 4-2 on penalties a.e.t. with a 3-3 score.

• Should Argentina win this fixture against Spain, they will become the third nation to have won the trophy back-to-back after Italy in 1934 and 1938, and Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

• Head-to-Head in all competitions:

• Spain and Argentina first ever meeting was December 7, 1952, in an international friendly game, and Argentina won (0-1). 

Total matches played  - 14
Spain wins                      - 6
Goals scored                 - 19
Argentina wins              - 6
Goals scored                 - 17
Drawn games                - 2

• Spain won 6-1 over Argentina in their last meeting in an international friendly on March 27, 2018, at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, which remains one of the only five occasions Argentina have conceded six in a game. Isco scored a hat-trick in the 27th, 52nd, and 74th minutes. Diego Costa, Thiago Alcantara, and Lago Aspas also found the net. Nicolas Otamendi scored for Argentina in the 39th minute.

• Head-to-Head at the FIFA World Cup:

• This fixture will be the second time Spain and Argentina are meeting at the FIFA World Cup tournament, following their Group stage meeting back in 1966, with the White and Sky Blue winning 2-1 over Spain.

• Recent Performance:

• Spain's Recent Performance:

• Spain won 2-0 against France in their Semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 14 at the AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas.

• La Roja of Spain have won each of their last six games in all competitions. Spain have scored thirteen (13) and conceded one (1) in those games, scoring first in all six contests. They had seven first-half goals, while their opponents netted once in the first 45 minutes. 

• Argentina's Recent Performance:

• The White and Sky Blue of Argentina have won each of their last six (6) games in all competitions. Argentina scored 16 and conceded seven over that period, netting first in four of the six. They had five (5) goals in the first half, while their opponents scored only once before the break.

• Argentina won their World Cup Semi-Finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup match 2-1 against England on July 15 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They have won 14 in a row.

• There have been 307 goals scored in 103 matches for the ongoing FIFA World Cup, for an average of 2.98 goals per match (as of July 18, 2026).

• A total of fourteen (14) players from Spain and Argentina have scored 30 goals combined after semifinal games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup:

• 8 goals (1 player)
• Lionel Messi (Argentina)

• 5 goals (1 player) 
• Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) 

• 3 goals (1 player) 
• Lautaro Martínez (Argentina) 

• 2 goals (3 players)
• Mikel Merino (Spain)
• Pedro Porro (Spain) 
• Enzo Ferandez (Argentina) 

• 1 goal (8 players)
• Alex Baena (Spain)
• Fabian Ruiz (Spain)
• Lamine Yamal (Spain)
• Julian Alvarez (Argentina) 
• Glovani Lo Celso (Argentina) 
• Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina) 
• Lisandro Martinez (Argentina) 
• Cristian Romero (Argentina) 

• 2026 FIFA World Cup Leading Goal scorers:

• With 13 goals, Just Fontaine of France was the top scorer in the 1958 FIFA World Cup tournament. As of 2026, no player has ever scored more goals in a single FIFA World Cup tournament.

• Match Facts:

• The White and Sky Blue of Argentina are ranked 2nd by the latest FIFA rankings (June 11, 2026), but their highest was 1st.

• Their first international game was May 1, 1904 (Belgium 3-3 France) in Uccle, Belgium.

• La Roja/The Red One of Spain are ranked 2nd in the FIFA rankings (June 11, 2026), but their highest was 1st.

• Their first international game was August 28, 1920 (Spain 1-0 Denmark) in Forest, Belgium.

• Player Records:

• Argentina's most-capped player: Lionel Messi (206 caps, 125 goals).

• Spain's most-capped player: Sergio Ramos (180 caps, 23 goals).

• Argentina's all-time top scorer: Lionel Messi (125 goals, 206 caps).

• Spain's all-time top scorer: David Villa (59 goals, 98 caps).

• Team Information:

• Spain is located in Europe and is part of the UEFA Confederation.

• Argentina is located in South America and is part of the CONMEBOL Confederation.

• The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) was founded on September 29, 1913, and became affiliated with FIFA in 1914 and became a founding member of UEFA in 1954.

• The Argentina Football Association (AFA) was officially founded on February 21, 1893, making it the oldest football association in South America and one of the oldest in the world. It has been a member of FIFA since 1912, but was a founding member of CONMEBOL in 1916.

• Spain first appeared in the 1934 FIFA World Cup tournament and were eliminated at the Quarter-finals stage by Italy (1-0) [Replay].

• The first player to score a FIFA World Cup goal for the Spanish national team is José Iraragorri in a 3-1 win over Brazil on May 27, 1934 (92 years ago) at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa in Italy.

• The White and Sky Blue of Argentina first appeared in the inaugural FIFA World Cup in July 1930, held in Uruguay.

• On July 15, 1930, Argentina beat France 1-0 in their debut game in FIFA World Cup tournament history. 

• Luis Monti scored Argentina's first official goal at the FIFA World Cup tournament in the 81st minute in their 1-0 win over France on July 15, 1930.

• Argentina lost 4-2 to Uruguay in the Final of the 1930 FIFA World Cup in their maiden participation. 

• Since 1986, only five (5) Nations have NEVER missed a single FIFA World Cup: Brazil, Spain, Germany, Argentina, and South Korea.

• Since the goalless draw between Brazil and Italy in the 1994 edition of the FIFA World Cup, the team scoring first has lifted the trophy in six of the last seven FIFA World Cup Finals, with the exception being France in 2006 against Italy, who drew 1-1 and lost on penalties.

• Spain have been victorious in five (5) of their last six (6) major tournament Finals, winning four out of five UEFA EURO Finals (1964, 2008, 2012, 2024, losing in 1984), and winning their only previous FIFA World Cup Final in 2010 against the Netherlands. Only Germany (7) and Italy (6) have lifted more major titles than Spain among European nations.

• Spain are unbeaten in their last 37 matches in all competitions with the record of (W28 D9), since a 1-0 defeat to Colombia in March 2024. Should they avoid defeat in this match, it will be the longest ever unbeaten run by a European nation in history; Italy also went 37 games undefeated between October 2018 and September 2021.

• There have only been three occasions a country has won the UEFA Euro and the FIFA World Cup back-to-back: Germany at the 1972 EURO and the 1974 FIFA World Cup, France at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2000 EURO, and Spain at the 2008 EURO, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2012 EURO.

• Spain this season are the first side in the history of the FIFA World Cup to keep six (6) clean sheets in a single edition. They haven't trailed for a single minute, and only three countries have won the competition without going behind: Italy in 1938 and 1982, and Germany in 1990.

• This fixture will be the sixth time the reigning champions have played in a FIFA World Cup Final; the first two won the Final (Italy in 1938 and Brazil in 1962), but the last three have all lost (Argentina in 1990, Brazil in 1998 and France in 2022).

• Argentina have won all seven of their matches at this season's FIFA World Cup and could be the first nation since the Brazil team in 2002 (won 7/7) to have a 100% winning record in a single edition. Should they win, eight wins in a row would be the outright second longest winning run in the history of the FIFA World Cup behind Brazil's 11-game streak between 2002 and 2006.

• Argentina have come behind to win twice at this season's FIFA World Cup, beating Egypt at the Round of 16 and England in the Semi-finals. Only Germany in 1970 and the Netherlands in 2014 have won three games when trailing in a single FIFA World Cup, and the only team to go behind and win in the Semi-finals and Final was Uruguay in 1930.

• Argentina have scored five goals from outside the box at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the joint most by a team in one edition since 1966; Brazil in 1978 and 1982, and Germany in 1990 also scored five (5) goals outside the box.

• Argentina have won their last 14 matches in all competitions and could break the record winning run by a South American country should they win this fixture; they are currently on level with Brazil's 14-game winning run between June and December 1997.

• Additional Facts:

• This fixture will be Luis de la Fuente Castillo's 50th game in charge of Spain national team (one game in 2021, 48 since March 2023), with the record of (wins - 37, draws - 10, loss - 2), with only Vicente del Bosque with Spain (43), Roberto Martinez with Belgium (39), and Gusztav Sebes with Hungary (38) winning more of their first 50 with a European nation. No manager has ever lost fewer than two of their first 50 at a European team.

• Since March 2024, de la Fuente holds the all-time world record for the longest undefeated streak in men's international football (tied with Italy), having guided Spain through 37 consecutive matches without a loss in regulation time. This achievement makes him the first coach in European football history to remain undefeated in his first 14 European Championship and FIFA World Cup matches, with the record: (W13 D1).

• Lionel Sebastian Scaloni has overseen 103 games as a manager for the Argentina National team with the record of (wins - 76, draws - 18, losses - 9) since August 2018.

• Lionel Sebastian Scaloni has won all his FIFA World Cup games against European opponents since 2022 (W7 GF15 GA6):
• 30/11/2022 Poland      0-2 Argentina (Group Stage) [2022 FIFA World Cup]
• 09/12/2022 Netherlands 2-2 Argentina (a.e.t.) [3-4p] (Quarter-finals) [2022 FIFA World Cup]
• 13/12/2022 Argentina 3-0 Croatia (Semi-finals) [2022 FIFA World Cup]
• 18/12/2022 Argentina 3-3 France (a.e.t.) [4-2p] (Final) [2022 FIFA World Cup]
• 22/06/2026 Argentina 2-0 Austria (Group Stage) [2026 FIFA World Cup]
• 11/07/2026 Argentina 3-1 Switzerland (Quarter-finals) [2026 FIFA World Cup]
• 15/07/2026 England     1-2 Argentina (Semi-finals) [2026 FIFA World Cup]

• Argentina's last defeat against a European opponent was against France on June 30, 2018, at the Round of 16 stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and Jorge Luis Sampaoli was in charge of the national team.

• With both Luis de la Fuente Castillo and Lionel Sebastián Scaloni taking charge of their respective nations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final, it will continue to be the case that every FIFA World Cup has been won by a manager from the same country as the team he's managing. 

• Should Argentina win over Spain, Scaloni could become only the second manager to retain the trophy, after Vittorio Pozzo of Italy in 1934 and 1938.

• Two Nations FIFA World Cup Final games:

• Spain won their only previous FIFA World Cup Final since the 1934 edition
• 11/07/2010 Netherlands    0-1 Spain a.e.t. (Final) [2010 FIFA World Cup]

• Argentina are in their seventh FIFA World Cup Final since 1930. 
• 30/07/1930 Uruguay           4-2 Argentina (Final) [1930 FIFA World Cup]
• 25/06/1978 Argentina         3-1 Netherlands (Final) [1978 FIFA World Cup]
• 29/06/1986 Argentina         3-2 West Germany (1986 FIFA World Cup) 
• 08/07/1990 West Germany 1-0 Argentina (Final) [1990 FIFA World Cup]
• 13/07/2014 Germany           1-0 Argentina a.e.t. (Final) [2014 FIFA World Cup]
• 18/12/2022 Argentina          3-3 France a.e.t. 4-2p (Final) [2022 FIFA World Cup]

• Spain FIFA World Cup Final against South American opponents since 1934:

• Spain fixture with Argentina will be the first FIFA World Cup Final against a South American opponent since 1934.

• Argentina FIFA World Cup Final against European opponents since 1930 (W3 L2):
• 25/06/1978 Argentina         3-1 Netherlands (Final) [1978 FIFA World Cup]
• 29/06/1986 Argentina         3-2 West Germany (1986 FIFA World Cup) 
• 08/07/1990 West Germany 1-0 Argentina (Final) [1990 FIFA World Cup]
• 13/07/2014 Germany           1-0 Argentina a.e.t. (Final) [2014 FIFA World Cup]
• 18/12/2022 Argentina          3-3 France a.e.t. 4-2p (Final) [2022 FIFA World Cup]

• Argentina have lost all their FIFA World Cup Finals in which they have played as an Away team since 1930:
• 30/07/1930 Uruguay 4-2 Argentina (Final) [1930 FIFA World Cup]
• 08/07/1990 West Germany 1-0 Argentina (Final) [1990 FIFA World Cup]
• 13/07/2014 Germany 1-0 Argentina (Final) [2014 FIFA World Cup]

• Spain have lost once in their last seven FIFA World Cup matches against South American opponents (W4 D2 L1 GF7 GA5):
• 13/06/1990 Uruguay 0-0 Spain (Group Stage) [1990 FIFA World Cup]
• 27/06/1994 Bolivia   1-3 Spain (Group Stage) [1994 FIFA World Cup]
• 19/06/1998 Spain     0-0 Paraguay (Group Stage) [1998 FIFA World Cup]
• 07/06/2002 Spain     3-1 Paraguay (Group Stage) [2002 FIFA World Cup]
• 25/06/2010 Chile      1-2 Spain (Group Stage) [2010 FIFA World Cup]
• 18/06/2014 Spain     0-2 Chile (Group Stage) [2014 FIFA World Cup]
• 26/06/2026 Uruguay 0-1 Spain (Group Stage) [2026 FIFA World Cup]

• Argentina have won all their last seven FIFA World Cup games against European opponents (W7 GF15 GA6):
• 30/11/2022 Poland      0-2 Argentina (Group Stage) [2022 FIFA World Cup]
• 09/12/2022 Netherlands 2-2 Argentina (a.e.t.) [3-4p] (Quarter-finals) [2022 FIFA World Cup]
• 13/12/2022 Argentina 3-0 Croatia (Semi-finals) [2022 FIFA World Cup]
• 18/12/2022 Argentina 3-3 France (a.e.t.) [4-2p] (Final) [2022 FIFA World Cup]
• 22/06/2026 Argentina 2-0 Austria (Group Stage) [2026 FIFA World Cup]
• 11/07/2026 Argentina 3-1 Switzerland (Quarter-finals) [2026 FIFA World Cup]
• 15/07/2026 England     1-2 Argentina (Semi-finals) [2026 FIFA World Cup]

• Their last defeat was against France on June 30, 2018, at the Round of 16 stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

• Two nations' FIFA World Cup games in the United States:

• Spain have lost once in their previous FIFA World Cup games played on the soil of the United States (W7 D3 L1 GF22 GA7):
• 17/06/1994 Spain    2-2 South Korea (Group Stage) [1994 World Cup]
• 21/06/1994 Germany 1-1 Spain (Group Stage) [1994 World Cup]
• 27/06/1994 Bolivia  1-3 Spain (Group Stage) [1994 World Cup]
• 02/07/1994 Spain    3-0 Switzerland (Round of 16) [1994 World Cup]
• 09/07/1994 Italy       2-1 Spain (Quarter-finals) [1994 World Cup]
• 15/06/2026 Spain    0-0 Cape Verde (Group Stage) [2026 World Cup]
• 21/06/2026 Spain    4-0 Saudi Arabia (Group Stage) [2026 World Cup]
• 02/07/2026 Spain    3-0 Austria (Round of 32) [2026 World Cup]
• 06/07/2026 Portugal 0-1 Spain (Round of 16) [2026 World Cup]
• 10/07/2026 Spain    2-1 Belgium (Quarter-finals) [2026 FIFA World Cup]
• 14/07/26 France    0-2 Spain (Semi-finals) [2026 FIFA World Cup]

• Argentina's previous FIFA World Cup games played on the soil of the United States (W9 L2 GF25 GA13). 
• 21/06/1994 Argentina 4-0 Greece (Group Stage) [1994 FIFA World Cup]
• 25/06/1994 Argentina 2-1 Nigeria (Group Stage) [1994 FIFA World Cup]
• 30/06/1994 Argentina 0-2 Bulgaria (Group Stage) [1994 FIFA World Cup]
• 03/07/1994 Romania 3-2 Argentina (Round of 16) [1994 FIFA World Cup]
• 16/06/2026 Argentina 3-0 Algeria (Group Stage) [2026 FIFA World Cup]
• 22/06/2026 Argentina 2-0 Austria (Group Stage) [2026 FIFA World Cup]
• 27/06/2026 Jordan 1-3 Argentina (Group Stage) [2026 FIFA World Cup]
• 03/07/2026 Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde [a.e.t.] (Round of 32) [2026 FIFA World Cup]
• 07/07/2026 Argentina 3-2 Egypt (Round of 16) [2026 FIFA World Cup]
• 11/07/2026 Argentina 3-1 Switzerland (Quarter-finals) [2026 FIFA World Cup]
• 15/07/2026 England 1-2 Argentina (Semi-Finals) [2026 FIFA World Cup]

• Two Nations' FIFA World Cup games in July:

• Spain have played 19 FIFA World Cup games in July, including knock-out stages since 1934: (W10 D2 L7 GF26 GA22).

• Argentina have played 25 FIFA World Cup games in July, including knock-out stages since 1930 (W15 D2 L8 GF42 GA33).

• Two nations' FIFA World Cup games on July 19:

• Spain's fixture against Argentina will be the first time the Spanish national team will play a FIFA World Cup game on July 19. 

• Argentina have won all their FIFA World Cup games played on July 19:

• 19/07/1930 Argentina 6-3 Mexico (Group Stage) [1930 FIFA World Cup]
• 19/07/1966 Argentina 2-0 Switzerland (Group Stage) [1966 FIFA World Cup]
• Their next fixture is against Spain on July 19, 2026 (Final)

• Two nations' FIFA World Cup games on Sunday:

• Spain's previous FIFA World Cup games played on Sunday (W11 D5 L2 GF30 GA14). 
• 27/05/1934 Spain 3-1 Brazil (Round of 16) [1934 FIFA World Cup] 
• 25/06/1950 Spain 3-1 United States (Group Stage) [1950 FIFA World Cup]
• 02/07/1950 Spain 1-0 England (Group Stage) [1950 FIFA World Cup]
• 09/07/1950 Uruguay 2-2 Spain (Final Round) [1950 FIFA World Cup]
• 16/07/1950 Sweden 3-1 Spain (Final Round) [1950 FIFA World Cup]
• 03/06/1962 Spain 1-0 Mexico (Group Stage) [1962 FIFA World Cup]
• 11/06/1978 Spain 1-0 Sweden (First Group Stage) [1978 FIFA World Cup]
• 20/06/1982 Spain 2-1 Yugoslavia (First Group Stage) [1982 FIFA World Cup]
• 01/06/1986 Spain 0-1 Brazil (Group Stage) [1986 FIFA World Cup]
• 22/06/1986 Spain 1-1 Belgium (a.e.t.) [4-5p] (Quarter-finals) [1986 FIFA World Cup]
• 17/06/1990 South Korea 1-3 Spain (Group Stage) [1990 FIFA World Cup]
• 02/06/2002 Spain 3-1 Slovenia (Group Stage) [2002 FIFA World Cup]
• 16/06/2002 Spain 1-1 Republic of Ireland (a.e.t.) [3-2p] (Round of 16) [2002 FIFA World Cup]
• 11/07/2010 Netherlands 0-1 Spain a.e.t. (Final) [2010 FIFA World Cup]
• 01/07/2018 Spain 1-1 Russia (a.e.t.) [3-4p] (Round of 16) [2018 FIFA World Cup]
• 27/11/2022 Spain 1-1 Germany (Group Stage) [2022 FIFA World Cup]
• 21/06/2026 Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia (Group Stage) [2026 FIFA World Cup]

• Argentina previous FIFA World Cup games played on Sunday since 1930 (W9 D2 L10 GF35 GA33):
• 27/05/1934 Sweden 3-2 Argentina (Round of 16) [1934 FIFA World Cup]
• 08/06/1958 Argentina 1-3 West Germany (Group Stage) [1958 FIFA World Cup]
• 15/06/1958 Czechoslovakia 6-1 Argentina (Group Stage) [1958 FIFA World Cup]
• 15/06/1974 Poland 3-2 Argentina (First Group Stage) [1974 FIFA World Cup]
• 23/06/1974 Argentina 4-1 Haiti (First Group Stage) [1974 FIFA World Cup]
• 30/06/1974 Argentina 1-2 Brazil (Second Group Stage) [1974 FIFA World Cup]
• 10/06/1978 Argentina 0-1 Italy (First Group Stage) [1978 FIFA World Cup]
• 18/06/1978 Argentina 0-0 Brazil (Second Group Stage) [1978 FIFA World Cup]
• 25/06/1978 Argentina 3-1 Netherlands (Final) [1978 FIFA World Cup]
• 13/06/1982 Argentina 0-1 Belgium (First Group Stage) [1982 FIFA World Cup]
• 22/06/1986 Argentina 3-2 West Germany (Final) [1986 FIFA World Cup]
• 24/06/1990 Brazil 0-1 Argentina (Round of 16) [1990 FIFA World Cup]
• 08/07/1990 West Germany 1-0 Argentina (Final) [1990 FIFA World Cup]
• 03/07/1994 Romania 3-2 Argentina (Round of 16) [1994 FIFA World Cup]
• 14/06/1998 Argentina 1-0 Japan (Group Stage) [1998 FIFA World Cup]
• 21/06/1998 Argentina 5-0 Jamaica (Group Stage) [FIFA World Cup]
• 02/06/2002 Argentina 1-0 Nigeria (Group Stage) [2002 FIFA World Cup]
• 27/06/2010 Argentina 3-1 Mexico (Round of 16) [2010 FIFA World Cup]
• 15/06/2014 Argentina 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group Stage) [2014 FIFA World Cup]
• 13/07/2014 Germany 1-0 Argentina a.e.t. (Final) [2014 FIFA World Cup]
• 18/12/2022 Argentina 3-3 France (a.e.t.) [4-2p] (Final) [2022 FIFA World Cup]

•

Center Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)

• Slavko Vincic was born on November 25, 1979, in Maribor, SR Slovenia, Yugoslavia, and has been an international-listed referee for FIFA since 2010.

• The FIFA World Cup trophy:

• Since the inception of the FIFA World Cup tournament, two different trophies have been awarded to the winners of the competition.  

• From 1930 to 1970, the Jules Rimet Trophy was awarded to the FIFA World Cup winning team. It was originally simply known as the World Cup or Coupe du Monde, but in 1946 it was renamed after the FIFA president Jules Rimet, who set up the first tournament. 

• In 1970, Brazil's third victory in the tournament entitled them to keep the trophy permanently. However, the trophy was stolen in 1983 and has never been recovered, apparently melted down by the thieves.

• After 1970, a new trophy, known as the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was designed. The experts of FIFA, coming from seven countries, evaluated the 53 presented models, finally opting for the work of the Italian designer Silvio Gazzaniga. The new trophy is 36cm (14.2 in) high, made of solid 18-carat (75%) gold and weighs 6.175 kg (13.6 lb).

• The base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite while the bottom side of the trophy bears the engraved year and name of each FIFA World Cup winner since 1974. The description of the trophy by Gazzaniga was: "The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world. From the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture rise the figures of two athletes at the stirring moment of victory."

• This new trophy is not awarded to the winning nation permanently. World Cup winners retain the trophy only until the post-match celebration is finished. They are awarded a gold-plated replica rather than the solid gold original immediately afterwards.

• All members (players, coaches, and managers) of the top three teams receive medals with an insignia of the FIFA World Cup Trophy; winners' (gold), runners-up (silver), and third-place (bronze). In the 2002 edition, fourth-place medals were awarded to hosts South Korea. 

• Before the 1978 tournament, medals were only awarded to the eleven players on the pitch at the end of the final and the match for third place. 

• In November 2007, FIFA announced that all members of World Cup-winning squads between 1930 and 1974 were to be retroactively awarded winners' medals.

• Since 2006, winners of the competition are also awarded the right to wear the FIFA Champions Badge, up until the time at which the winner of the next competition is decided.