THE FINAL MATCH OF THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP
The final match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 23rd edition of FIFA's competition for national soccer teams, was played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, part of the New York metropolitan area, on July 19, 2026, and was contested by Spain and defending champions Argentina.
The tournament was contested by hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States, along with 45 other teams who emerged from the qualification phase, which was organized by the six FIFA confederations. The 48 teams competed in a group stage, from which 32 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, Spain finished first in Group H with two wins and a draw, after which they defeated Austria in the round of 32, Portugal in the round of 16, Belgium in the quarterfinal, and France in the semifinal. Argentina finished first in Group J with three wins, after which they defeated Cape Verde in the round of 32, Egypt in the round of 16, Switzerland in the quarterfinal, and England in the semifinal. The final took place in front of 80,663 spectators, and was refereed by Slavko Vinčić of Slovenia.
Lamine Yamal had a chance to score for Spain early in the first half when he hit a curl shot, which was saved by Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, and Marc Cucurella had an opportunity to score shortly before half-time but his shot went wide of the goal. In the second half, Ferran Torres had a chance when he met with a header, but his shot was denied by Martínez. Before the end of regulation time, Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernández received a second yellow card for a challenge against Pau Cubarsí and was sent off; shortly afterwards, Yamal took a free kick, but his shot was saved by Martínez. With the match goalless after 90 minutes—and with Argentina becoming the first team in a World Cup final to register no shots in regulation time—the game went into extra time, in the second period of which Spain broke the deadlock. Torres, who had come on as a substitute, received the ball from a header by Nico Williams and kicked it with a left-footed shot to secure a 1–0 victory for Spain. After the final whistle, a brawl broke out, in which multiple Argentina players were involved.
Spain's win was their second World Cup title and the first since 2010, becoming the first country to simultaneously hold the men's and women's World Cup titles, having won the latter in 2023. Torres was named the man of the match. The match saw the most saves ever in a World Cup final, with 11 by Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez. The match was preceded by the closing ceremony. The match was the first ever World Cup final to include a halftime show, which caused the full halftime break to last over 27 minutes, against International Football Association Board (IFAB) protocol.
Stadium
Main article: MetLife Stadium
Smoke in the national colors of the two finalists drifts across MetLife Stadium's pitch minutes before kickoff.
Exterior of MetLife Stadium during June 2026; its name was concealed to comply with FIFA's brand protection policy.
The final was played at MetLife Stadium, temporarily renamed New York New Jersey Stadium for the World Cup, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 miles (8.0 km) west of New York City. MetLife Stadium, previously known as New Meadowlands Stadium until 2011, opened in 2010 and has a listed capacity of 82,500 seats. It is home to the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) and had previously hosted Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, the Copa América Centenario final in 2016, and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final. Over the tournament, the stadium hosted seven other matches, including five group stage matches, a round of 32 match, and a round of 16 match.
MetLife Stadium was proposed as the ideal final venue by the United Bid Committee in the United 2026 bid,[28] which was selected on June 13, 2018. The stadium was announced as the final venue in February 2024.The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA), which oversees MetLife Stadium, approved a $15.9 million contract to expand MetLife Stadium in June 2023, which was done to meet FIFA's size requirements.[33] In preparation for the World Cup, the stadium went under renovations in January 2024. Work was divided into two phases, completed in May 2024 and May 2025, during the NFL offseason. A total of 1,740 seats in the lower bowl corners were removed to widen the field; several sections of removable bleacher seating were then installed for NFL games. In May 2026, a Bermuda grass surface, sourced from North Carolina, was temporarily laid over the field's normal artificial turf for the tournament. The grass was originally supposed to be sourced from New Jersey. The pitch was later criticized by players, including Vinícius Júnior and Adrien Rabiot, with them describing it as "dry and difficult", while visible worn patches were noted by the media.
During the tournament, the Meadowlands Rail Line, a shuttle train with no regular service, and a new $35 million busway were planned to be used to transport attendees from the nearest transit hub at Secaucus Junction. In April 2026, NJ Transit, which operates the Meadowlands Rail Line, announced that $150 tickets would be issued for the train service, with dedicated queues at New York Penn Station, and $80 fares for express buses. These fares were higher than normal $12.90 train fare for MetLife Stadium services. The fares were announced to offset the $48 million cost of providing event service and security that was not subsidized by FIFA and other grants. In May 2026, NJ Transit announced that sponsorships and other funds raised would allow train fares to be reduced to $105 and later to $98.
