Sutton predicts World Cup final: Spain to beat Argentina

BBC Sport's football expert Chris Sutton has made his predictions for the 2026 World Cup final and bronze final. The final will feature Spain against Argentina, while France and England compete for third place.

Sutton notes that Argentina's team is not outstanding in this tournament, but he admires their fight and aggression. "They fight like no other team to stay in games and win any way they can," he says. Argentina also have Lionel Messi. Sutton believes Argentina will defend deep, as they did in the first half against England, and pick moments to attack. However, he thinks Spain have a better team that plays the best football.

According to Sutton, Spain will not retreat if they take the lead; they remain calm and confident. He points out that Lamine Yamal has not fully found his form yet, but his performances are still high level. Many Spanish players are at the top of their game, like Pedro Porro and Rodri (back after injury). Sutton predicts Spain will dominate possession and the first goal will be crucial. He says Argentina will bring "chaos" but Spain will bring "calm", and calmness will win. His prediction: 2-1.

Sutton also mentions the predictor game stats: users have 72% accuracy (72 out of 104 games), AI has 66% (65% correct), and he himself has 64%. AI predicts the same as Sutton: 2-1 in the final and France winning the bronze match.