Spain has officially secured its place in the 2026 World Cup final after an impressive 2-0 victory over France in Arlington, Texas. The Spanish side, known as La Roja, now awaits the outcome of the second semi-final match between rivals England and Argentina to determine their opponent for the championship game. The losers of that semi-final will compete against France in the third-place play-off in Miami on Saturday.
Argentina is currently aiming to become only the third nation in history to win back-to-back World Cups, a feat previously accomplished by Italy in 1934 and 1938, and Brazil in 1958 and 1962. The final match is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, with an 8pm BST kick-off, which is 3pm local time (ET).
The venue for the final is MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, though it is referred to as New York/New Jersey Stadium for the tournament due to FIFA sponsorship rules. The open-air stadium, home to the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets, has a reduced World Cup capacity of 80,663. It has already hosted seven matches, including England’s 2-0 win over Panama, Norway’s victory over Brazil, France’s win against Sweden, and Ecuador’s 2-1 victory over Germany. Other matches held there included Senegal’s losses to France and Norway, and Brazil’s draw with Morocco.
The final will feature a Super Bowl-style entertainment program, including an 11-minute half-time show curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin. The performance will feature Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel, and the PS22 Chorus, with proceeds supporting the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. A closing ceremony will precede the kick-off, featuring Tom Cruise, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams, and IShowSpeed. Jennifer Hudson will perform the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, before the match.
In other football news, the Premier League has issued a statement explaining why Tottenham was not awarded a penalty against Leeds following an incident involving James Maddison. The midfielder was denied a significant moment on his return from injury. Additionally, in Saudi Arabia, an error by goalkeeper Bento prevented Al-Nassr from securing the Saudi League title this Tuesday. Cristiano Ronaldo’s team had been leading 1-0 until the 53rd minute of the second half.
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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Md. Kazi Bijoy is a dedicated tech enthusiast and content creator with a passion for digital innovation. With years of experience in the tech industry, he specializes in breaking down complex topics into easy-to-understand guides. When he isn’t writing, he explores the latest gadgets and researches emerging trends in the digital world.