World Cup Final Is Here: Argentina vs. Spain at MetLife Stadium — Messi vs. Yamal

The 2026 FIFA World Cup comes down to this. Spain vs. Argentina. Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kickoff at 3 p.m. ET.
A crowd of 80,000 people is expected to pack into the stands of MetLife Stadium, where the cheapest tickets were going for nearly $10,000 on secondary market sites.
One team refuses to lose. The other barely lets opponents breathe. Something has to give.

The Matchup

Spain came into this tournament as European champions and played the most complete soccer of any team here. They control possession, move the ball with patience, and find ways to win late. Mikel Oyarzabal has been their clutch performer. Lamine Yamal, 19 years old, has been electric on the right wing.
Argentina nearly went out in every knockout round. They trailed Cape Verde, trailed Egypt 2-0, trailed England. They kept coming back. Messi set up both goals against England in the 85th and 92nd minutes. He has now assisted in six consecutive World Cup knockout matches — nobody in history has done that.

Messi vs. Yamal

This is the first time Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal have faced each other at a World Cup. Messi is 38. Yamal is 19. Yamal was born in 2007 — the same year Messi played in his first World Cup. Barcelona teammates during the 2023-24 season, now on opposite sides of the biggest match in soccer.
This is almost certainly Messi’s final World Cup match, win or lose. He said so himself before the tournament started.

Trump and the Halftime Show

President Trump is in the stadium today. He is expected to present the trophy to the winning captain after the final whistle.
In a first for the World Cup, there will be a halftime show modeled after the Super Bowl. Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, and BTS are scheduled to perform.

What to Watch

Spain have not conceded a single goal in open play in the knockout rounds. Argentina have been leaking goals but always finding a way to score more. The team that scores first in this match will be in a strong position — Spain have not lost a single match when scoring first at this tournament.
This is the last of 104 matches laid out over 39 days across 16 venues in three countries.
One team goes home with the trophy. The other goes home with nothing.
Match live now. Updates to follow. Source: FIFA.com, Yahoo Sports, NBC News, NPR