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What Is the Finalissima?
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Lionel Messi lifts the Finalissima trophy as Argentina players in light blue and white striped jerseys celebrate under a Finalissima 2022 arch after defeating Italy at Wembley Stadium in London, England on June 1, 2022, with gold confetti falling around them.
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Lionel Messi lifts the Finalissima trophy as Argentina players in light blue and white striped jerseys celebrate under a Finalissima 2022 arch after defeating Italy at Wembley Stadium in London, England on June 1, 2022, with gold confetti falling around them.
2022 Finalissima champions Argentina's Lionel Messi lifting the 2022 Finalissima trophy after defeating Italy, 3–0.

What Is the Finalissima?

Written by
Andrew Pereira
Andrew Pereira is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. He covers a variety of topics, with a focus on Indian politics, foreign policy, and global affairs.
Andrew Pereira
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

The Finalissima is a football (soccer) match played between the winner of the European Championship and the winner of the Copa América. It brings together the football champions from Europe and South America and is organized jointly by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL; South American Football Federation).

It is a single match that lasts 90 minutes. If the score remains tied at the end of full time, the winner is determined by a penalty shoot-out. There is no extra time.

First played in 1985, the Finalissima was previously called the Artemio Franchi Cup, named for the former president of UEFA. The fixture was held a second time, in 1993, before it was renamed in 2022, when the two continental federations revived the competition after signing a cooperation agreement. The 1985 edition featured France against Uruguay. Argentina won the 1993 and 2022 contests.

Argentina was scheduled to face Spain in the 2026 Finalissima on March 27 at Lusail Stadium, near Doha, Qatar. However, UEFA canceled the match due to what it called “the current political situation in the region” and said that efforts to find an alternate date and site had failed, according to a statement it issued.

Finalissima Winners
year location winner runner-up final score
1985 Paris France Uruguay 2–0
1993 Mar del Plata, Argentina Argentina Denmark 1–1 (Argentina won 5–4 in a shoot-out)
2022 London Argentina Italy 3–0
2026 Lusail, Qatar cancelled
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