Kroos Says Spain Will Win if It Scores First Against Argentina
Former Germany midfielder Toni Kroos believes Spain enters the 2026 World Cup final as the favorite and says scoring first would likely seal the title against Argentina.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup final approaching, former Germany star Toni Kroos has made it clear who he believes has the upper hand between Spain and Argentina.
Speaking alongside his brother Felix, Kroos praised Spain's style of play and argued that Luis de la Fuente's side becomes nearly unstoppable once it takes the lead.
"If a team like Spain is allowed to play while leading, you don't want to face them," Kroos said. He even predicted that an early Spanish goal could decide the match.
"If Spain scores the first goal, forget it. They'll score three or four. Argentina won't find any solutions," the former Real Madrid midfielder stated.
Despite backing Spain, Kroos was full of praise for Argentina's mentality and especially for Lionel Messi, whose influence continues to impress despite being 39 years old.
"Argentina isn't better than Germany, but they have an incredible mentality and Messi has taken them to the final. I realize Messi's football intelligence keeps increasing all the time," Kroos said.
The German also admitted that he expected the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be Messi's last appearance on football's biggest stage. Instead, the Argentine captain has once again led his country to the final and now stands one victory away from guiding Argentina to a historic consecutive World Cup title, while Spain seeks its second world championship.
