Spain, under Luis de la Fuente, have emerged as one of the standout teams of the tournament, and Kahn admitted he had considered La Roja favourites even before the World Cup began.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cFor me, the Spanish team was the favourite team before the World Cup. I always asked myself, \u2018Who and how can you beat Spain?\u2019\u201d Kahn, who is part of the Zee5 FIFA WC 2026 expert panel, replied to an IANS query in a virtual roundtable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The former Bayern Munich goalkeeper, however, believes Argentina possesses the qualities needed to halt Spain\u2019s charge and retain the world title.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI think the only team that can do this in this World Cup is Argentina. These guys are very emotional, very aggressive, and have total conviction. They are a bulletproof team. They won the Copa America, won the World Cup in 2022, and they still have the superstar Messi playing between the lines,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIf there is a team that can beat Spain, then it can be Argentina. Maybe it will even go to extra time. We can expect a great final and a battle of two systems with totally different tactical approaches,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Kahn also praised Spain\u2019s evolution under De la Fuente, saying the current side is very different from the one that dominated world football through its possession-based tiki-taka era.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThey further developed tiki-taka in the last 10 or 12 years. Luis de la Fuente has made some adaptations. They are playing more vertically and much more aggressively, with both full-backs always attacking. This is a totally different Spain than it was 10 years ago,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Kahn also praised Spain\u2019s evolution under De la Fuente, saying the current side is very different from the one that dominated world football through its possession-based tiki-taka era.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The FIFA World Cup 2026 final will see Spain take on Argentina on Monday, July 20, at the New York-New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford. Spain are chasing their second world title after lifting the trophy in 2010, while Argentina are aiming to become back-to-back world champions after their triumph in Qatar in 2022.<\/p>\r\n\r\n