This year, I've been watching the World Cup with Spanish play-by-play because the streaming app was cheaper. With Argentina vs Spain final approaching, it's a real perk. At Crunchbase News, we've been prepping with data on startup funding for both. Neither accounts for large share of global investment, but both have intriguing pipelines.

Argentina's startup scene remains "small, scrappy and sometimes very successful." Annual funding typically a few hundred million, lower than Brazil and Mexico. Mercado Libre commands $94 billion market cap. Ualá raised $1.1 billion total, including $195 million in March. Others: Pomelo $55M Series C, Tapi $27M Series B. 2026 shaping up strong.

Spain favored in soccer but lags in venture funding — under $2 billion in 2026, roughly one-third of France. PLD Space raised $206 million for space transport. Factorial got $150 million at $2.5 billion valuation. EOS-X Space $140M, Xoople $130M. Spain funding trending higher.

Both are underdogs in startup space. Capital concentrating in Silicon Valley. Encouraging to see investors spread bets. Both proven in soccer, no reason to doubt in venture game either.