It has been called the real World Cup final. Argentina are the reigning champions and ranked second in the world but France and Spain have been the two best teams in the tournament in North America. The winner of their semi-final in Dallas seems likely to start the New York final as favourites.
But France and Spain may be contesting a wider, greater battle. It may be an arbitrary starting point, especially for the latter, but 1998 marked a shift in football. Euro ’96 had been won by Germany; of course it had. Then the two European superpowers in international football were Italy and (West or reunified) Germany. Consider the evidence of three decades and the 15 major tournaments immediately following England’s 1966 World Cup win.
