Argentina vs. Spain Finalissima canceled

The Finalissima, which was scheduled to take place between the Argentina and Spain national teams, will not go ahead, after the parties failed to reach a definitive agreement over the date of the game.

Why is the Finalissima canceled?

CONMEBOL and the Argentine Football Association (AFA) have always reiterated their willingness to play the game on neutral soil.

Both institutions initially accepted the proposed venue for the game after UEFA's insistence on playing the game in Madrid. However, it was not possible to reach an agreement over the final due to the differences in opinion regarding the date of the match and the limited time available.

The original Finalissima venue

CONMEBOL and UEFA had previously agreed for the Finalissima between Argentina and Spain to be played in Qatar, a country which has demonstrated its ability to organize top-tier sporting events as well as a firm commitment to football.

Once that option was ruled out, the football associations from both countries and their respective confederations worked on finding an alternative that was satisfactory for all concerned parties.

The final proposal to play the game

On Saturday, March 14, the AFA received a proposal to play the game in Italy, on neutral ground, on March 27.

Argentina accepted the proposal without objections, while requesting the date be changed to March 31.

Later, UEFA announced that playing the game that day - just four days after the original date - would not be possible, leading to the game's cancellation.

Acknowledgements

CONMEBOL and AFA regret that in spite of their efforts and the goodwill shown from the start to play the game on neutral territory, it is not been possible to go ahead with this match.

Both institutions would like to also thank Qatar for its unshaking goodwill and UEFA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for the efforts made to stage this important event.