{"id":11062,"date":"2026-07-20T01:54:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T20:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=11062"},"modified":"2026-07-20T01:54:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T20:54:09","slug":"2026-fifa-world-cup-final-between-spain-and-argentina-kicks-off-sunday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=11062","title":{"rendered":"2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina kicks off Sunday"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>With the <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/biggest-2026-fifa-world-cup-stories\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a><\/span> final underway at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/spain-beats-france-world-cup-final\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Spain<\/a><\/span> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/argentina-beats-england-world-cup-final\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Argentina<\/a>\u00a0are competing as the last two teams standing in a tournament <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/world-cup-2026-schedule-how-to-watch\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">between 48 nations<\/a><\/span> from across the globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It was the largest FIFA World Cup in history, with the highly anticipated men&#8217;s final capping a 39-day whirlwind that saw more than six million fans attend matches in three different host countries, including, for the first time in decades, the United States. The final is taking place as skies began to clear over the Northeast, after <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/severe-weather-wildfire-smoke-northeast\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">several hazy days of wildfire smoke<\/a><\/span> traveled southward from Canada.<\/p>\n<p>Argentina is the defending champion and angling to <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/revisiting-2022-world-cup-final-argentina-france\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">become the first country<\/a><\/span> to secure two consecutive World Cup wins since Brazil&#8217;s back-to-back victories during the tournaments in 1958 and 1962. But Spain is slightly favored to take home the title this year. If they do, it would be the country&#8217;s second <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/spain-argentina-world-cup-trophies-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">World Cup title<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/19\/955f3d4f-f724-4b27-a7ae-8c9f3616f4cd\/thumbnail\/620x413\/25a8da0c2503c435828f0ce4db98776e\/ap26200018711853.jpg#\" alt=\"Argentina Spain WCup Soccer \" height=\"413\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/19\/955f3d4f-f724-4b27-a7ae-8c9f3616f4cd\/thumbnail\/620x413\/25a8da0c2503c435828f0ce4db98776e\/ap26200018711853.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/19\/955f3d4f-f724-4b27-a7ae-8c9f3616f4cd\/thumbnail\/1240x826\/6c717cbd6114abba3503bd8f36b12e7f\/ap26200018711853.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Spain fans gather for a rally on the eve of the World Cup final soccer match in New York&#8217;s Times Square, Saturday, July 18, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                AP Photo\/Yuki Iwamura<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Sunday&#8217;s match comes 60 years after teams representing the two finalists met during the <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/spain-argentina-world-cup-final-records-players\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">1966 World Cup<\/a><\/span>, when Argentina defeated Spain in a 2-1 match during the tournament&#8217;s group stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is only the second time Spain has competed in the finals, with the first being the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, which was also the country&#8217;s inaugural World Cup win. Argentina has reached the finals seven times, previously winning three of them.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Spain&#8217;s small edge heading into Sunday&#8217;s match, after the team&#8217;s exceptional midfield performance throughout the tournament so far and record goalkeeping, <a href=\"https:\/\/inside.fifa.com\/organisation\/news\/spain-argentina-historic-world-cup-2026-final-record-breaking-tournament\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">allowing just one goal<\/a> in their first seven matches, Argentina has also been playing to win. Its star player, Lionel Messi, is widely considered the G.O.A.T., or Greatest of All Time, and both he and his teammates have accomplished dramatic last-minute comebacks since the World Cup began.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/19\/d3239bbc-edff-4c19-8623-c66a936a88b1\/thumbnail\/620x413\/207ef2e7532b6230ffabb868209f7e84\/ap26199779822619.jpg#\" alt=\"Argentina Spain WCup Soccer \" height=\"413\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/19\/d3239bbc-edff-4c19-8623-c66a936a88b1\/thumbnail\/620x413\/207ef2e7532b6230ffabb868209f7e84\/ap26199779822619.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/19\/d3239bbc-edff-4c19-8623-c66a936a88b1\/thumbnail\/1240x826\/dd1424d8c32f8c725c51fa5f5e8152d2\/ap26199779822619.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Argentina fans gather for a rally on the eve of the World Cup final soccer match in New York&#8217;s Times Square, Saturday, July 18, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                AP Photo\/Frank Franklin II<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>A who&#8217;s who of attendees<\/h2>\n<p>As players and crowds geared up for the final, there was a pre-match <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/en\/tournaments\/mens\/worldcup\/canadamexicousa2026\/fifa-sound\/final-closing-ceremony\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">closing ceremony<\/a> held at 1:30, featuring musical guests Post Malone and Robbie Williams, with Jennifer Hudson performing the national anthem. Actor Tom Cruise also appeared at the ceremony, while Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, BTS and others performed during the 11-minute <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/world-cup-final-spain-argentina-watch\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">halftime show<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Global figures including President Trump, Spain&#8217;s Royal Family and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are in the stands.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Trump arrived at the stadium shortly before 2:30 p.m., after a flyover in the helicopter Marine One. He was then spotted in his box with First Lady Melania Trump, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of State Sean Duffy. He was also joined by\u00a0<span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/claudia-sheinbaum-trump-carney-world-cup-final\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum<\/a><\/span>, who Mr. Trump invited amid trade tensions between the two nations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/kathy-hochul-new-york-governor-face-the-nation-transcript-07-19-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">New York Gov. Kathy Hochul<\/a><\/span> told &#8220;Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan&#8221; on Sunday that she was confident in the security measures in place for the tournament, in light of its list of prominent guests.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have been preparing for this for, literally, over a year,&#8221; said Hochul, noting that federal, state and local law enforcement has coordinated closely on more than &#8220;1,000 exercises, table-topping all the scenarios&#8221; that could arise.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I feel very confident in our security, and we&#8217;re so happy to welcome the eyes of the world,&#8221; the governor added. &#8220;The entire planet is going to be watching what is happening right here in the New York City area. So it&#8217;s exciting, very exciting time for us.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The final match will is airng\u00a0on FOX and Telemundo.<\/p>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n<p class=\"content__meta--contributors\">\n<p>                                  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/team\/kiki-intarasuwan\/\" class=\"byline__author__link\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Kiki  Intarasuwan<\/a>, <\/p>\n<p>                                  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/team\/faris-tanyos\/\" class=\"byline__author__link\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Faris  Tanyos<\/a> and <\/p>\n<p>                      <span class=\"byline__author__text\">Elizabeth  Campbell<\/span><\/p>\n<p>        contributed to this report.\n    <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>  <!-- data-recirc-source=\"chartbeat\" --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"component list recirculation component--type-recirculation  component--type-recirculation-collection\">\n<div class=\"component__item-recirc-block\">\n<p><h3 class=\"component__title\">Go deeper with The Free Press<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n      <!-- tags --><\/p>\n<section class=\"content__tags\">\n<p class=\"content__tags__label\">In:<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the 2026 FIFA World Cup final underway at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Spain and Argentina\u00a0are competing as the last two teams standing in a tournament between 48 nations from across the globe.\u00a0 It was the largest FIFA World Cup in history, with the highly anticipated men&#8217;s final capping a 39-day whirlwind that saw&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/19\/d3239bbc-edff-4c19-8623-c66a936a88b1\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/255070094fb03a5813ea9af77d1dfe93\/ap26199779822619.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}