Spain has officially become the first team to secure a place in the 2026 World Cup final following a 2-0 victory over France in Arlington, Texas. The Spanish side now awaits the outcome of the high-stakes second semi-final between rivals England and Argentina. The defeated team from that match will go on to play France in the third-place play-off, which is scheduled for Saturday in Miami.
Argentina is currently seeking to become only the third nation to win back-to-back World Cups, a feat previously achieved by Italy in 1934 and 1938, and Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
The tournament finale is set to take place on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Due to FIFA sponsorship regulations, the venue is officially designated as New York/New Jersey Stadium for the duration of the tournament.
The open-air facility, which serves as the home ground for the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets, has a capacity of 82,500, reduced to 80,663 for World Cup matches.
The stadium has already hosted seven tournament games, including England's 2-0 win over Panama, Norway’s victory against Brazil, France’s win over Sweden, Ecuador’s 2-1 win over Germany, Senegal’s losses to France and Norway, and Brazil’s opening draw with Morocco.
Kick-off for the final is scheduled for 8pm BST, which corresponds to 3pm local time (ET). In a move reminiscent of the Super Bowl, organizers have planned an extensive entertainment program. A special 11-minute half-time show, curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, will feature performances from Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel, and the PS22 Chorus featuring Coldplay.
Proceeds from the show will benefit the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. The pre-match closing ceremony will include appearances by Tom Cruise, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams, and IShowSpeed. Additionally, Jennifer Hudson is confirmed to perform the American national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," prior to the start of the final.
In other football news, the Premier League has issued a statement explaining why Tottenham were not awarded a penalty against Leeds. The league clarified the decision regarding the incident involving Spurs midfielder James Maddison, who was denied a penalty on his return from injury.
Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, a mistake by Brazilian goalkeeper Bento prevented Al-Nassr from winning the Saudi League title this Tuesday. Cristiano Ronaldo’s team was leading 1-0 until the 53rd minute of the second half when the error occurred.
Yes, the USA are taking a Super Bowl-type approach to the World Cup final, with a number of prominent musical stars set to take the stage for a special half-time show that is expected to last for 11 minutes in total.
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