France or Spain face England or Argentina in the World Cup 2026 final on 19 July

The FIFA World Cup 2026 final is scheduled for Sunday 19 July at the New York New Jersey Stadium, with kick-off at 8pm BST / 3pm ET. The 23rd edition of the tournament concludes after 103 matches played across five weeks.

The two finalists will be decided by a pair of semi-finals. France, two-time winners and 2018 champions, face 2010 winners Spain in Dallas on Tuesday evening. Spain have won their last two competitive meetings against France, making the tie far from a foregone conclusion despite France’s status as favourites.

On Wednesday in Atlanta, England bid to reach their first World Cup final in 60 years when they face defending champions Argentina. The match will be the first competitive meeting between the two nations in 21 years and, remarkably, the first time Lionel Messi has ever faced the Three Lions.

The final itself will make history beyond the result on the pitch. For the first time in World Cup history, the match will include an official half-time show — an 11-minute performance curated by Chris Martin of Coldplay, who will also appear alongside Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, Burna Boy, BTS, Gustavo Dudamel and the PS22 Chorus.

A Closing Ceremony will also precede kick-off, beginning at 6:30pm BST / 1:30pm ET — 90 minutes before the match starts. Tom Cruise, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams and IShowSpeed are among the performers confirmed for that segment.

For those who did not make the final, the third-place play-off takes place on Saturday 18 July at the Miami Stadium in Florida, with kick-off at 10pm BST / 5pm ET.