The World Cup Final Is Here
7/19/202631 min
After a month of competition across North America and 103 matches, the 2026 World Cup is down to its final game. Spain and Argentina will meet this afternoon in a match expected to draw over one billion viewers around the world.
Spain is hoping its well-oiled machine and young star can bring it its second World Cup win. Argentina is looking to Lionel Messi, its longtime star, to secure victory in what could be his last game at the World Cup.
On today’s episode, Tariq Panja traces the road to this historic final and explains what to know before kickoff.
Tariq Panja, a global sports correspondent for The New York Times.
Background Reading
Why Everyone Cares About This World Cup
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsNeeraj0:00
[gentle music] Hi, I'm Neeraj from Madison, Wisconsin. I would like to share my subscription for NY Times with my family members. I should be able to share recipes from NYT Cooking, Wirecutter articles, or Athletic articles. We are a family of four. I would like them to have access to the subscription, too. Thank you.
Speaker 20:19
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Natalie Kitroeff· Host0:31
[crowd cheering] From the New York Times, I'm Natalie Kitroeff. This is The Daily on Sunday. [gentle music] The World Cup, which captivated billions of people across the world, brightening our days, and giving us a break from all of life's normal stressors, is coming to an end.
Tariq Panja· Guest0:53
What are you gonna do to, like, fill your time when the World Cup is over?
Speaker 50:57
I don't know. I mean, I'm really gonna be sad. I don't know what to do. It was such a month, a really good month.
Speaker 61:04
We're gonna be, [laughs] uh, really sad when the World Cup ends. We're spending a lot of time planning for the Women's World Cup next year in Brazil, just trying to keep the momentum going.
Speaker 51:12
I have a wife, and- [laughs] ... it's a full-time job as well, so [laughs] maybe I will just spend more time with my wife or find a hobby. I don't know. Maybe I will start knitting. I don't know. Something.
Natalie Kitroeff· Host1:24
[laughs] After five weeks of competition, which were filled with surprise