From Donald Trump’s attendance to the game’s winner, a short guide before New Jersey’s world-class football show.
Published July 16, 2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be held on Sunday, with Spain, number one in Europe, facing Argentina, number one in South America.
Spain will be aiming to add a second world title to their collection, while Argentina will be hoping to win a fourth trophy.
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When is the 2026 World Cup Final?
The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina will be held on Sunday, July 19th.
When was the last time Spain and Argentina played each other?
The last time Spain and Argentina met in an international friendly was on 27 March 2018 at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. Spain won the match 6-1.
What time does the World Cup final kick off?
The match starts with 3:00 PM local time in East Rutherford, New Jersey, or 19:00 GMT.
Where will the finals be held?
The World Cup finals will be held at MetLife Stadium, home of two National Football League (NFL) teams, the New York Giants and New York Jets. For the World Cup, the venue was temporarily changed to New York/New Jersey Stadium.
This huge multipurpose stadium can accommodate up to 82,500 spectators during soccer matches. The venue also hosted the final and both semi-finals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Will US President Donald Trump appear in the finals?
FIFA has already allowed Donald Trump to attend the 2026 World Cup finals.
The President of the United States is scheduled to award a trophy to the winning side.
Is there a halftime show?
For the first time in the event’s history, the World Cup final will feature a Super Bowl-style halftime show.
Entertainment stars such as Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira, BTS, Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel and more will perform, as well as the PS22 Chorus featuring Coldplay.
The performance itself is expected to last approximately 11 minutes, with the halftime break potentially extending for up to 30 minutes.
Separately, the closing ceremony will begin 90 minutes before the final kick-off. Entertainers such as Tom Cruise, Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger are scheduled to perform.
What are your predictions for Spain vs Argentina?
Opta’s supercomputer calculated that Spain had a 45.1 percent chance of winning the final within the allotted time and Argentina had a 29.4 percent chance of winning.
There is a 25.4% chance that extra time or a penalty will be called.
Where will the 2030 World Cup be held?
The next tournaments will be held in Morocco, Spain and Portugal. The host city for the final has not yet been decided, with Madrid being the frontrunner.
As part of the tournament’s 100th anniversary celebrations, 100th anniversary matches will be held in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, where the first tournament was held in 1930.
