Atlético de Madrid to Set World Cup Final Player Record

Atlético de Madrid is poised to break a 92-year-old record previously held by Juventus when its players feature in the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain in New York. The Spanish club will have an unprecedented 10 players participating in the final match.

Six of these players will represent Argentina: goalkeeper Juan Musso, defender Nahuel Molina, midfielders Giuliano Simeone and Thiago Almada, and forwards Julián Álvarez and Nicolás González. Four Spanish players will also feature for their national team: Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, Alex Baena, and Alejandro Grimaldo. Notably, Nicolás González's inclusion comes after his loan spell ended and the club opted not to exercise a purchase option, while Alejandro Grimaldo, recently acquired by Atlético, played for Bayer Leverkusen last season.

This achievement continues a streak for Atlético de Madrid, marking the third consecutive World Cup final to feature players from the club. In the 2018 final, four players represented the club (Antoine Griezmann, Lucas Hernández, and Thomas Lemar for France, and Sime Vrsaljko for Croatia). In the 2022 final, another four players participated (Griezmann for France, and Ángel Correa, Nahuel Molina, and Rodrigo de Paul for Argentina).

The record Atlético de Madrid is surpassing was set in 1934 when Juventus provided nine players for Italy's World Cup-winning squad. For the upcoming final, Barcelona will also have a significant presence, with eight players from their squad set to compete.