Spain and Argentina will play the World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday, with a trophy and a place in soccer history at stake.
Away from the pitch, the build-up has revolved around Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal, predictions, wildfire smoke and the chosen referee for the sport’s biggest match.
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Here’s what you need to know before the finals begin.
What is the schedule for the World Cup finals?
Spain vs. Argentina, Sunday, July 19th (19:00 GMT), East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA.
What are the predictions?
This will be the second time Spain and Argentina will face off at the FIFA World Cup. The only previous meeting between the two sides was in the group stage in 1966, when Argentina defeated Spain 2-1.
Spain has dominated this game since the turn of the century, winning three of the four meetings they have faced Argentina.
According to supercomputer Opta, Spain will advance to the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as favorites to win. After 25,000 pre-match simulations, Spain had a 59.6 percent chance of being champions, with Argentina having a 40.4 percent chance of successfully defending their title.
Looking only at the results after 90 minutes, Spain won in 45 percent of the simulations. In the final, 29.0 percent of the runs resulted in a tie that went into extra time, with Argentina winning the remaining 26 percent in regular time.
What else is going on?
Messi’s last World Cup?
Fans have been following Messi’s final training sessions, the golden boot laces, viral images of Argentine legend Yamal’s baby and what many see as Messi’s iconic torch relay as the Spanish teenager hopes to be named as soccer’s next global superstar.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires blankets New York before World Cup final
Smoke from the Canadian wildfires has blanketed much of the northeastern United States, prompting health alerts, but a cold front expected over the weekend will clear the dangerous fog in time for Sunday’s World Cup final in the New York area.
More than 80,000 people are expected to watch the World Cup final at New York’s open-air New Jersey Stadium, with an additional 50,000 people expected to watch the match in Manhattan’s Central Park.
New York City began to feel the effects of wildfires this week, with city officials issuing an alert asking residents to reduce strenuous outdoor activities and take extra breaks if they are outside.
On Thursday, air quality in New Jersey, the stadium’s host state, was rated “unhealthy for sensitive groups” by several air quality measurement platforms.
Referee becomes emotional during final match
The World Cup final between Argentina and Spain will be refereed by Slovenian Slavko Vincic.
The 46-year-old from Maribor will become the first Slovenian to host a men’s World Cup final. Key appointments to date include the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
With Vincic’s appointment, defending champions Argentina will be playing in the World Cup finals for the second year in a row, playing against European opponents and overseen by European referees.
The selection was made following scrutiny of refereeing decisions regarding Argentina during the tournament. Critics pointed to several controversial calls, including an incident in which Messi avoided a red card for a challenge on an Algerian player. After Egypt lodged a formal complaint about the officiating following their 3-2 loss to Argentina, FIFA’s head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, defended the referees, saying: “No one can doubt the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match referees.”
Vincic oversaw three matches at the 2026 World Cup, receiving seven yellow cards, one red card and no penalties awarded. His most recent assignment was in the Round of 32, when he sent off Ecuadorian defender Piero Hincapie after a video review for covering his mouth during a confrontation with a Mexican player. He also refereed the group stage match between Brazil and Morocco, as well as Algeria’s 2-1 victory over Jordan.
He will be supported by fellow Slovenians Tomas Kranjnik and Andraz Kovacic, while Germany’s Bastian Dunkert will act as video assistant referee (VAR) and Colombia’s Nicolas Gallo will assist in the video operations room.
Vincic said he was overwhelmed when he learned of his appointment at the FIFA Referees Base in Miami.
“First came the shock, then came the happiness,” he said. “I was shaking. It’s an incredible honor to referee a World Cup final. It’s every referee’s dream when they first start the match. So I’m extremely proud of myself and the team.”
Messi’s emotional letter to his fans
Messi shared an emotional message ahead of the World Cup final, thanking his team-mates, coaching staff and fans for their support throughout the team’s journey.
On the eve of the final, the Argentina captain reflected on his time with the national team on Instagram, saying that his most cherished memories go beyond the trophies he won.
“The best thing about these years was not just the title, but the whole journey,” Messi wrote. “I get to share my daily life with this group, compete together, bounce back from difficult moments, and enjoy every step of the way.”
Argentina fans take over New York
Times Square turned into Buenos Aires as enthusiastic Argentina fans created a “sea of blue and white” before the final.
Connection with Cape Verde
Before the final, fans emphasized the connection with Cape Verde.
Cape Verde became the only team in the tournament where neither finalists Spain nor Argentina had won within the allotted time.
The island nation of around 530,000 people held Spain to a draw in the group stage before nearly eliminating Argentina in the round of 32, forcing extra time after a dramatic 2-2 draw. Argentina ultimately won 3-2, but Cape Verde left the tournament as one of the tournament’s biggest surprise packages.
Prime Minister Netanyahu expresses support for Argentina
Argentina’s ambassador to Israel presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a soccer jersey ahead of the World Cup final. Prime Minister Netanyahu supports Argentina and said he has a great relationship with the country’s president, Javier Milei.
