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Argentina is looking to become the first team to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. To achieve that goal, Lionel Messi's squad will have to beat Spain in the 2026 World Cup final on Sunday, July 19.
Spain has enjoyed a quality performance at the 2026 World Cup to date. La Roja have only conceded one goal and are coming off a convincing, 2-0 win over the tournament favorites, France, during which their squad made Kylian Mbappé and the French offense uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, Argentina has had numerous close calls in the knockout stage and endured one again facing England. The Three Lions held a 1-0 lead until Enzo Fernández scored in the 85th minute, but Argentina still managed to win the match in regulation after Lautaro Martínez scored a game-winning goal in stoppage time.
Will Argentina be able to eke out another close win, or will Spain's defense stymie Messi in his and Argentina's bid to make history and earn back-to-back World Cup wins? USA TODAY asked AI chatbot Microsoft Copilot to predict the outcome of the 2026 World Cup final.
The chatbot was fed the following queries to generate its analysis for the match:
Here's a breakdown of Copilot's prediction for the World Cup final, along with a brief, human-crafted analysis of the chatbot's pick:
AI's take: Copilot is backing Spain because it has been "more dominant" during the 2026 World Cup. The chatbot credited La Roja for "allowing very few goals and controlling matches with their midfield" while also noting it was worried about Argentina being "vulnerable" in the midfield.
Per usual, Copilot spoke well of Messi and it noted it "would not be surprised if the game goes to extra time." However, it still wants to back Spain because of its high-quality "defensive structure."
Our take: It's hard to argue with Copilot's analysis. Spain has only conceded one goal across its seven World Cup matches to date. Luis de la Fuente's squad keeps its shape well and – like most recent, successful Spanish sides – is able to dominate possession.
Messi and Argentina should still test a young Spanish squad that hasn't yet seen 19-year-old Lamine Yamal net a goal in the knockout rounds. Still, La Albiceleste has had close calls across all four of its knockout stage matches, needing extra time to dispatch Cape Verde and Switzerland and needing late comebacks to knock off Egypt and England.
Argentina might be hard-pressed to mount another similar, late win against a strong Spanish defense, so Spain is rightly favored to win the 2026 World Cup.
Copilot believes Yamal will break through with his first World Cup knockout stage goal. Unsurprisingly, the chatbot is also backing Messi to get another goal, though it believes the 39-year-old's score will come from the penalty spot.
Here's a look at Copilot's predictions:
Spain scorers
Argentina scorer
Interestingly, Copilot doesn't believe either of Spain's scorers will be named the "Man of the Match." Instead, it is backing Rodri – a key midfielder for La Roja – to take home the honors.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AI predictions for Spain vs. Argentina World Cup final
Continue reading...
Spain has enjoyed a quality performance at the 2026 World Cup to date. La Roja have only conceded one goal and are coming off a convincing, 2-0 win over the tournament favorites, France, during which their squad made Kylian Mbappé and the French offense uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, Argentina has had numerous close calls in the knockout stage and endured one again facing England. The Three Lions held a 1-0 lead until Enzo Fernández scored in the 85th minute, but Argentina still managed to win the match in regulation after Lautaro Martínez scored a game-winning goal in stoppage time.
Will Argentina be able to eke out another close win, or will Spain's defense stymie Messi in his and Argentina's bid to make history and earn back-to-back World Cup wins? USA TODAY asked AI chatbot Microsoft Copilot to predict the outcome of the 2026 World Cup final.
The chatbot was fed the following queries to generate its analysis for the match:
- Can you predict the winner of the Spain vs. Argentina World Cup match?
- Can you predict who will score and when?
Here's a breakdown of Copilot's prediction for the World Cup final, along with a brief, human-crafted analysis of the chatbot's pick:
AI predictions for Spain vs. Argentina: World Cup final
Spain 2, Argentina 1
AI's take: Copilot is backing Spain because it has been "more dominant" during the 2026 World Cup. The chatbot credited La Roja for "allowing very few goals and controlling matches with their midfield" while also noting it was worried about Argentina being "vulnerable" in the midfield.
Per usual, Copilot spoke well of Messi and it noted it "would not be surprised if the game goes to extra time." However, it still wants to back Spain because of its high-quality "defensive structure."
Our take: It's hard to argue with Copilot's analysis. Spain has only conceded one goal across its seven World Cup matches to date. Luis de la Fuente's squad keeps its shape well and – like most recent, successful Spanish sides – is able to dominate possession.
Messi and Argentina should still test a young Spanish squad that hasn't yet seen 19-year-old Lamine Yamal net a goal in the knockout rounds. Still, La Albiceleste has had close calls across all four of its knockout stage matches, needing extra time to dispatch Cape Verde and Switzerland and needing late comebacks to knock off Egypt and England.
Argentina might be hard-pressed to mount another similar, late win against a strong Spanish defense, so Spain is rightly favored to win the 2026 World Cup.
AI predicts goal scorers for Spain vs. Argentina
Copilot believes Yamal will break through with his first World Cup knockout stage goal. Unsurprisingly, the chatbot is also backing Messi to get another goal, though it believes the 39-year-old's score will come from the penalty spot.
Here's a look at Copilot's predictions:
Spain scorers
- Lamine Yamal (24')
- Mikel Oyarzabal (78')
Argentina scorer
- Lionel Messi (57')
Interestingly, Copilot doesn't believe either of Spain's scorers will be named the "Man of the Match." Instead, it is backing Rodri – a key midfielder for La Roja – to take home the honors.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AI predictions for Spain vs. Argentina World Cup final
Continue reading...
