Everything you need to know about the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina

After 37 days of the startof the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, the tournament is coming to an end. Mexico and South Africa played their first match on June 11 at the Azteca Stadium, and the Mexicans won 2-0. Since then, 102 games have been played, with two remaining: the third match for the pustura and the final between Spain and Argentina this Sunday in New York.

The 2026 World Cup final will be played on Sunday, July 19 at the MetLife Stadium in New York-New Jersey (USA) . The match will begin at 3 p.m.in New Jersey-New York, at 9 p.m.in Spain and at 4 p.m.in Argentina.

The stadium is actually located in the state of New Jersey, but the name New York is used to officially designate the headquarters.

Slovenian Slavko Vincic has been nominated as the final referee for Spainand Argentinathis Sunday. In this edition of the tournament he has led three matches: Brasil-Morocco, Jordania-Algeria, in the first phase, and Mexico-Ecuador, in the final sixteen. In that last match, he eliminated Ecuadorian Piero Hincapié for covering his mouth in a dispute with a rival.

Slavko Vincic, final referee, photo: Europa Press.

Spain and Argentina have faced each other 14 times, with six wins and two ties for each team. Equality is also reflected in goals: 19 goals for Spain and 18 goals for Argentina.

As far as official competitions are concerned, Spain and Argentina have only faced each other once in a World Cup. Theyhave been measured in the group stage of the 1966 England championship and Argentina has won 2-1 with goals from Luis Artime and Ermindo Onega. Pirri has scored in the group stage for Spain. Argentina, for its part, played one more round and was eliminated in the quarter-finals against England, which played at home (1-0).

On March 27, 2018, a few months before the World Cup in Russia, Spain, trained by Asteasuarra Julen Lopetegui , beat Argentina 6-1 at the Metropolitan Stadium in Madrid with a hat-trick Isco , Diego Costa, Thiago and Aspas . Otamendiscored the goal of the Argentines.

However, for the final stop of this year's March selections,the Finale  , which was to measure the Euro Cup champion, Spain, and the American Cup champion, Argentina, was scheduled. However, the match, scheduled to be played in Qatar, could not be played for various reasons. The most important was the conflict in the Middle East and the war in Iran, but it was also said that the timetable was very full and both federations had organizational problems.

Julen Lopetegui was a Spanish coach. Photo: Europa Press.

Argentina has been a world champion three times ,the first being in 1978, at the World Cup they organized, and they beat the Netherlands 3-1 in the extension of the final. Kempesscored the first two goals of theArgentines, Berton K the third, and NanningaK the Europeans.

Argentina won its second World Cupin Mexico 86, with Diego Armando Maradona as the main protagonist, winning thefinal at the Azteca Stadium to Federal Germany 3-2. The Argentine scorers were Brown, Valdano and Burruchaga , and Rummeniggeand Völlerscored for the Germans.

Diego Armando Maradona with the World Cup at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

The last time Argentina won the World Cup was four years ago,in Qatar in 2022. The final at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, the best in history for many, was won in penalties (3-3) against France, the champion of Russia 2018. The goals of the final were for Di Maria and Messi , with two goals, for theArgentines.

Lionel Messi raising the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar.

On the other hand, Argentina has lost three World Cup finals , the first in 1938 against Uruguay (4-2) in Uruguay, the second in 1990 against Germany (1-0) in Italy, and the thirdagainst Germany (1-0) , but this time at the Maracaná Stadium in Brazil in 2014.

Spain has won the World Cup once . It was in 2010 that South Africa hosted the World Cup, the first and only African country to host the tournament to date. After a dubious start, the team led by Vicente del Bosqueheld a great tournament and faced the Netherlands in thefinal.

TheColombian Shakira , Madonna, the South Korean band K-Pop BTS , Justin Bieber, the Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel , Burna Boy, the PS22 Choir and Coldplay have been announced for the first time in FIFA\u00A0history.

The rest of the World Cup final will therefore last more than 15 minutes in regulation, as is customary in sport in the United States, and as a result of the half-time show known worldwide for the Super Bowl of American football.

Shakira at the music show before the first game of the World Cup.

At the moment, in anticipation of the last two World Cup games of 2026, Lionel Messiis still ahead of Kylian Mbappé at the head of the scorecard, given the difference in goal assists. Both have eight goals, but theArgentinian has scored one more goal than the Frenchman. Messi has four assists in total, two of them in the last match against England.

Messi, Mbappé, Haaland and Kane, candidates for the 2026 World Cup Gold Boot.

Resale tickets for this Sunday's World Cup final range from $7,000 to $39,000 in the most popular digital resale portals in the United States.

Tickets for the final can no longer be obtained in regular seats on the FIFA official page, as only known hospitality tickets are offered, which cost between $15,000 and $17,000, while the most expensive options are priced between $29,000 or $57,000 per person.

High ticket prices are compounded by high accommodation or food costs, and transportation to the stadium can also be expensive, as walking is prohibited. Official trains to the MetLife Stadium cost $98, although shuttle buses are a cheaper option, with prices of around $20.