AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Forty-eight teams began the journey, and more than five weeks later, just two remain. Argentina and Spain are the last teams standing, set to face off Sunday in the 2026 World Cup soccer final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. From Barcelona to Buenos Aires, fans are dreaming of glory and bracing for heartbreak, as we hear from Natalie Alcoba in Argentina, and first, Miguel Macias in Spain.
MIGUEL MACIAS, BYLINE: It's late July in Spain, and on weekends, the cities begin to empty. Millions head to the coast, seeking relief from the summer heat along Spain's nearly 5,000 miles of coastline. By Sunday, towns like this one in Southern Spain will become giant open-air living rooms, with families and friends spilling into the streets, gathering around outdoor screens for the World Cup final - people like Rafael Cortez.
RAFAEL CORTEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
MACIAS: Cortez says he's hoping that one player, Lamine Yamal, shines on Sunday.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LAMINE")
MORAD: (Singing) Lamine Yamal...
MACIAS: Lamine Yamal - that's the name you hear about the most - the teenage soccer sensation who has become the face of Spain's new generation. Songs have been written about him.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LAMINE")
MORAD: (Singing in Spanish).
MACIAS: He only celebrated his 19th birthday this week, and the symbolism isn't lost on anyone. Argentina's legendary Lionel Messi, who once cradled and bathed an infant Yamal during a charity photo shoot in Barcelona, will now face him in a World Cup final. It's football's old master against the player many in Spain hope will define its future. For generations, Spanish fans watched teams full of talent fall short on football's biggest stage, until 2010, when they won their first World cup in South Africa.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LA ROJA BAILA")
NINA PASTORI, REDONE, SERGIO RAMOS: (Singing in Spanish).
MACIAS: "La Roja Baila," "The Red Ones Danced (ph)," became the soundtrack of Spain's national team and of the joy that came with winning.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LA ROJA BAILA")
PASTORI, REDONE, RAMOS: (Singing in Spanish).
MACIAS: That is the feeling Spain is chasing again. Argentina is playing on Sunday for a place in history. Spain is playing for belief that winning wasn't just the memory, that it wasn't all a dream.
Miguel Macias, NPR News, Spain.
(CROSSTALK)
NATALIE ALCOBA, BYLINE: In a Buenos Aires cantina, with football jerseys hanging from the ceiling like garlands, two friends are talking about - what else? - Argentina at the World Cup.
JORGE NEME: (Speaking Spanish).
ALCOBA: "For many Argentines, I'd say this is one of the few sources of joy we have - watching the national team," says Jorge Neme, a sociologist. On the restaurant's TVs, clips of Lionel Messi's magical plays from his team's semifinal victory over England are playing on a loop.
EDUARDO HECKER: (Speaking Spanish).
ALCOBA: "What I really value," says Neme's friend, economist Eduardo Hecker, "is how we won. It wasn't just about grit and courage, although we showed plenty of both. They also played football. The style matters. The way we play matters." The message of perseverance resonates strongly for Argentines who are often struggling through economic or social crises. Against the odds, 39-year-old Messi has led Argentina back to another World Cup final after a string of dramatic comeback victories.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Singing in Spanish).
(SOUNDBITE OF TOY HORN SQUEAKING)
ALCOBA: Now, an infectious electricity is pulsing through the country ahead of Sunday's showdown with Spain. Wednesday's victory against England sent millions of euphoric people out on the streets, from the biggest cities to the smallest towns. Sabrina Carlos was among them, celebrating with her young daughters and her husband, who was wrapped in the Argentina flag. She says the players have shown a lesson that goes beyond football - the importance of never giving up.
SABRINA CARLOS: (Speaking Spanish).
ALCOBA: "t's like the worse it gets, the more they try. That's a life lesson." Jorge Neme, the sociologist in the restaurant, says the players are connecting with a cross section of Argentines in a special way.
NEME: (Speaking Spanish).
ALCOBA: "The meaning behind these celebrations, the excitement in the streets," Neme says, "has to do with the fact that Argentina is in a long process of economic and social decline and, somehow, football offers a chance at a second opportunity - a chance to rewrite the story, and that's what's happening." Come what may against Spain on Sunday, both friends say nothing will take away the joy of having come this far.
From Buenos Aires, I'm Natalie Alcoba for NPR. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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