Euro 2020 champions Italy meet their Copa America 2021 counterparts Argentina on Wednesday night at Wembley Stadium. The Finalissima is a match that features the champions of South America against their European counterparts. This is a fixture agreed upon after UEFA and CONMEBOL signed a renewed and extended Memorandum of Understanding on 15 December 2021. This will be a one-off fixture played in the normal time of 90 minutes and if the game ends in a tie it goes straight into penalties. The officiating of the game in terms of referees and assistant referees will be agreed upon with the two continental football associations. 

Ever since the World Cup was first played in 1930, every single finalist has been either European or South American. The statistics are unambiguous when it comes to which continent between Europe and South America is the most successful in footballing on the planet. Of the 21 World Cup winners so far, 12 have been from the continent of Europe (Germany/West Germany 4, Italy 4, France 2, England 1, Spain 1) while 9 have come from the continent of South America (Brazil 5, Argentina 2, Uruguay 2). The Artemio Franchi Cup was a previous attempt to have the two continental winners face off. Its inaugural game was in 1985 when France beat Uruguay 2-0 and the second and final edition was played in 1993 when Argentina beat Denmark penalties 5-4. The Artemio Franchi Cup has now been reinvented as the Finalissima and it all comes down to Wednesday night at Wembley Stadium, the stadium of England's national team. 

In the past previous head-to-head meetings between Italy and Argentina, the Italians have won 6 while the Argentines have won 4 with 5 games ending in a stalemate. Argentina have, however, won all three of the nations' 21st-century meetings. Argentina was the second South American country to qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup after their fierce rivals Brazil while Italy will miss out on this year's World Cup after missing out on the qualification. All eyes are now fixated on tomorrow's match as the two nations fight out for glory in the world of football.