Alexis Mac Allister and Victor Munoz will go head-to-head as Argentina faces Spain in the World Cup final, which means Liverpool will have to report for pre-season training
10:04, 16 Jul 2026
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 15: Alexis Mac Allister of Argentina celebrates after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi Final match between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on July 15, 2026 in Atlanta, United States. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)
Alexis Mac Allister celebrates after Argentina's win over England(Image: Getty Images)
Two of Liverpool’s players will be battling it out to be crowned world champions this weekend, but only one will be able to claim World Cup glory.
With Argentina coming from behind once again to beat England, Sunday’s showpiece final in New Jeresy is now set, with the reigning champions facing Spain following its win over France.
That will of course pit two Reds against each other, with Alexis Mac Allister coming up against new signing Victor Munoz before they report back to pre-season training with the Reds - and they might not have long to get up to speed with the rest of their teammates once they return to club duties.
Andoni Iraola has had his first glimpse of his new squad this week, with a number of first-team stars - including Dominik Szoboszlai, Milos Kerkez and Curtis Jones - having made their way back to the AXA Training Centre.
Those who have reported for pre-season so far have not been involved in the World Cup this summer, with more players set to arrive over the coming weeks.
Florian Wirtz, Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak should follow soon, having been knocked out at the last-32 stage with their respective countries, while Alisson Becker will be a little later after reaching the last-16 with Brazil.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JULY 02: Victor Munoz #25 of Spain inspects the pitch before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between Spain and Austria at Los Angeles Stadium on July 02, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Maja Hitij - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
New signing Victor Munoz will have to wait to meet his new Liverpool teammates(Image: FIFA via Getty Images)
Mac Allister and Munoz though may not report in until the end of pre-season. Iraola has spoken about the importance of players getting three weeks off this summer, which both of Liverpool’s finalists are yet to experience.
"I’ve spoken with all of the players that have been in the World Cup, especially the ones that have already been eliminated and are enjoying their holidays,” Iraola said in his first press conference on Monday. “I didn’t want to disturb them while the World Cup was ongoing.
"But I’ve had very good conversations. I’m also using these couple of weeks I’ve had before we start properly the first-team training to talk with a lot of people who work every day here, and those are the ones that are helping me create a good environment so our players can perform and we can maximize their abilities."
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Iraola added: “I think it is what it is, we cannot change it. The players deserve a break, the ones that have been in the World Cup, they deserve three weeks so they can enjoy their time with friends and family, and physically they need a rest after a very busy season.”
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Assuming both Mac Allister and Munoz are given three weeks to rest following the World Cup final, that could mean they won’t return until around August 10. If they were to return earlier, they could feature in the Reds’ friendly against Monaco on August 9 at Anfield.
Otherwise, the pair’s target could be to return in time for the final planned friendly against Como on August 16, before the Premier League season gets underway with a trip to Newcastle on August 23.