World Cup 2026 Final: Spain vs Argentina — Bracket Path, Date & Time
Spain meet Argentina in the World Cup 2026 final, Sunday 3 PM ET at MetLife. How both cut through the bracket, the 6-1 history between them, and kickoff times worldwide.
Spain vs Argentina. Sunday, July 19, 3:00 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium — the first final of the 48-team era, and only the second World Cup final between a European and South American champion since 2014. This is how the bracket broke, and what it set up.
Spain's road: control, then more control
Spain put out Belgium 2-1 in Los Angeles, then dismantled France 2-0 in Dallas — a semifinal they led from the front and never loosened. Across their last two knockout games they have conceded once, the meanest defensive record of the final four.
Argentina's road: champions who refuse the script
The holders beat Switzerland 3-1 in Kansas City, then went behind to Anthony Gordon's goal in Atlanta. What followed is already the tournament's signature stretch: two Argentina goals in the 85th and 92nd minutes to win 2-1 and knock England into the third-place match.
The stakes
Argentina are one win from back-to-back titles — no nation has done it since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. Spain are one win from a second star, sixteen years after their first. The teams have never met in a World Cup final; their last meeting of note was a 6-1 Spain rout in a 2018 friendly in Madrid, a scoreline Argentina's veterans have not forgotten.
Kickoff times around the world
| City | Final kickoff |
|---|---|
| New York (ET) | Sunday, July 19 — 3:00 p.m. |
| London (BST) | Sunday — 8:00 p.m. |
| Madrid (CEST) | Sunday — 9:00 p.m. |
| Buenos Aires (ART) | Sunday — 4:00 p.m. |
| Jakarta (WIB) | Monday — 2:00 a.m. |
Third place went to England, 6-4 over France in a 10-goal Miami epic — Mbappe's brace (10 goals, now past Messi as the all-time World Cup top scorer) adding history to a game nobody wanted to be in.
Coverage
Channel guides for every region: how to watch Spain vs Argentina. The prediction desk's model — right about the semifinal — has its number for Sunday. The full knockout picture lives on our World Cup 2026 bracket page.
Whoever lifts the trophy walks off with the first title of the 48-team World Cup — and a place in the game's longest argument.
