'Chaos v calm' - Sutton's World Cup final prediction

What the report says

BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton has backed Spain to beat Argentina 2-1 in the 2026 World Cup final, framing Sunday’s match in New York as a contrast between Argentina’s intensity and Spain’s composure. Writing ahead of the final at MetLife Stadium, Sutton said Argentina have shown resilience and aggression throughout the tournament, but argued Spain have the stronger team and have played the best football.

According to BBC Sport, Spain have not trailed in any of their seven matches at the tournament and reached the final by beating France in a semi-final performance Sutton described as dominant. He highlighted Spain’s control in possession, their confidence in playing through pressure and the form of players including Rodri and Pedro Porro. Sutton also noted that Lamine Yamal has yet to fully impose himself, while still rating his contribution within a strong team display.

Sutton said Argentina, managed by Lionel Scaloni, may defend deep and look for selective moments to attack, while relying on the presence of Lionel Messi and the momentum from their semi-final comeback against England. He suggested the first goal could be decisive, but predicted Spain would dominate the ball and avoid retreating if they went ahead.

BBC Sport also previewed Saturday’s bronze final in Miami between France and England. Sutton predicted France to win 2-1, while noting both sides are likely to be deflated after missing the final. The article also compared predictions from Sutton, Microsoft Copilot-generated AI and BBC predictor game users, with users leading overall after 102 of 104 tournament matches.