Spain and Argentina kicked off the 2026 FIFA World Cup final Sunday afternoon at New York New Jersey Stadium, also known as MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with the match beginning at 3 p.m. ET. President Donald Trump was expected to attend. The game came at the end of a six-week tournament involving 48 teams competing in more than 100 matches across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
According to a report by ABC News, this is likely the final World Cup appearance for Argentina superstar forward Lionel Messi, whose career spans two decades. Argentina is looking to repeat its 2022 World Cup win over France. Spain, meanwhile, has allowed only one goal in the entire tournament and is counting on that defense to contain Argentina's attack. Spain's 19-year-old forward Lamine Yamal helped lead the team to the European championship in 2024.
Former US women's national team star Tobin Heath, who won World Cups in 2015 and 2019, offered analysis of the tournament for Al Jazeera Sport as the only female member of an elite FIFA Technical Study Group panel. She pointed to the record number of goals, 307 in 103 matches, at an average of nearly three goals per match. Heath said the biggest factor driving the high-scoring tournament is "where these teams are winning the ball back, how they're counter-pressing and the use of attack in wide areas."
Before the match, a closing ceremony starting at 1:30 p.m. ET featured Post Malone as headline performer, along with actor Tom Cruise, singers Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, and Robbie Williams, and streamer IShowSpeed. Jennifer Hudson performed the national anthem.
The first-ever World Cup halftime show followed during the match, headlined by Madonna, BTS, Shakira, and Justin Bieber. Additional performers included Burna Boy, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, Coldplay, and the PS22 Chorus, a choir of fourth and fifth graders from a public elementary school in Staten Island, New York.
The final was broadcast in the US on FOX in English and Telemundo in Spanish, with streaming available on FOX One and Peacock.
Canadian wildfire smoke had blanketed the region in the days before the final, raising concerns about air quality for the tens of thousands of fans gathering at the stadium. Thunderstorms passing through the area on Saturday were expected to clear most of the smoke before game time, according to meteorologists. Tyler Roys, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, said there could be some lingering haze but that the thickest smoke was "not expected across New York City or much of the Northeast." Unhealthy air quality warnings remained in effect across a wide stretch of the country through the weekend, and President Trump continued to place blame on Canada for the smoke crossing the border.
The storm system brought severe weather to parts of the Northeast, with flash flooding reported in New York City and New Jersey. Singer-songwriter Noah Kahan's concert at Citi Field was canceled Saturday night. An official statement said, in part, "This was a very difficult decision to make, but the first priority is always to keep everyone safe."
