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July 19, 2026 at 08:10 AM
Argentina and Spain Set to Meet in World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium, With a 20-Minute Halftime Concert on the Schedule
The 2026 World Cup wraps up today. Argentina and Spain, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, meet at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at 3 p.m. Eastern, closing out a 104-match tournament that has run since June, according to NPR.
Roughly 80,000 fans are expected in the stands, with cheapest resale tickets reportedly running close to $10,000, NPR reported. After days of wildfire smoke and a Saturday flash flood alert around New York, Sunday's forecast called for clear skies and a high near 80 degrees.
What's actually on the line
Argentina is chasing something no country has done since Brazil in 1958 and 1962: back-to-back World Cup titles, according to Fox News. Only Italy (1934, 1938) has managed consecutive titles besides Brazil. A win would cap an era for Argentina that already includes the 2022 World Cup, two Copa América trophies and the 2022 Finalissima, all under Lionel Messi.
Messi, 39, has been the story of the knockout rounds. He racked up eight goals and four assists through the tournament, per NPR. That production trails only Kylian Mbappé of France. Argentina's path to the final has been anything but comfortable. The team didn't hold a lead in regulation in any of its four knockout matches, twice needing stoppage-time winners and twice needing extra time, per NPR.
The semifinal against England captured that pattern. England's Anthony Gordon put the Three Lions ahead in the 55th minute off a Morgan Rogers cross, and England held that lead for roughly 30 minutes before Messi set up Enzo Fernandez to tie it. Substitute Lautaro Martinez then scored the winner in the 92nd minute off another Messi assist, according to Fox News.
Spain's route has been built on defense as much as flash. According to NPR, Spain has conceded only one goal across seven World Cup matches, beating three top-ten teams to reach the final: a 1-0 win over No. 5 Portugal, a 2-1 quarterfinal win over No. 9 Belgium, and a 2-0 semifinal win over No. 3 France. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente called Argentina "an excellent national team that has had a spectacular run over the last eight or 10 years," according to NPR.
Nineteen-year-old Lamine Yamal has carried Sp
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