After 50 years, no Serie A players feature in World Cup Final | OneFootball

As Lautaro Martinez and Nico Paz did not take to the field, there were no Serie A players in the World Cup Final, something that hadn’t happened for 50 years.

When Argentina and Spain faced off in New Jersey last night to decide the winners of the 2026 edition, Nico Gonzalez was the only representative owned by an Italian club.

World Cup Final without Serie A players

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JULY 19: Nico Gonzalez #15 of Argentina controls the ball against Pedro Porro #12 of Spain during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Although he was in the starting XI for Argentina, he also spent the entire 2025-26 campaign playing on loan for Atletico Madrid, so they are the club he was registered with rather than Juventus in the tournament.

With that in mind, the only Serie A players in the squad were Inter captain Lautaro Martinez and Como starlet Nico Paz, who both remained on the bench throughout.

The last time not a single Serie A player was on the field in a World Cup Final was 1978, when Argentina beat West Germany to lift the trophy.