Final
When is the World Cup 2026 final?
The 2026 World Cup final is on Sunday July 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (FIFA tournament name: New York New Jersey Stadium). Kickoff is 21:00 UTC (17:00 ET / 22:00 BST / 14:00 PT) — Sunday afternoon US Eastern, prime-time evening UK.
The final is the 104th and last match of the 2026 World Cup, played across 39 days from the opening match on June 11. The two finalists arrive at the final having played 7 matches (3 group + 4 knockout wins: R32, R16, QF, SF) — one match more than a 2022 finalist due to the new Round of 32 in the 48-team format.
Where is the World Cup 2026 final being played?
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey — across the Hudson River from Manhattan in the New York metropolitan area. Capacity 82,500, expanded for the World Cup. The stadium is home to the New York Giants and New York Jets of the NFL and was selected over Estadio Azteca in Mexico City for the final after FIFA's host-city competition concluded in 2022.
This is the third World Cup final hosted in the United States — Pasadena's Rose Bowl hosted the 1994 final (Brazil beat Italy on penalties). MetLife also hosts Semi-final 2 on July 15 and the third-place play-off on July 18.
For travel logistics see our NYC World Cup 2026 final tickets at MetLife guide.
How does the World Cup 2026 final work if scores are tied?
The final cannot end in a draw. The tiebreaker sequence:
- Extra time: Two periods of 15 minutes each, played in full.
- Penalty shoot-out: If still level after extra time, each team takes five penalty kicks alternating; if still level, sudden-death penalties continue one-for-one until one team scores and the other doesn't.
The 2022 final between Argentina and France was decided on penalties (Argentina won 4-2 after 3-3 in extra time). Three of the 22 World Cup finals so far have gone to penalties: 1994 (Brazil beat Italy 3-2), 2006 (Italy beat France 5-3), and 2022 (Argentina beat France 4-2).
Who has won the most World Cup finals?
The World Cup has been won by 8 different countries across 22 tournaments. Brazil leads with 5 titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002). Germany and Italy follow with 4 titles each (Germany: 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014; Italy: 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006). Argentina has 3 titles (1978, 1986, 2022 — the most recent winner). France has 2 titles (1998, 2018). Uruguay has 2 (1930, 1950). England (1966) and Spain (2010) have one title each.
Argentina enter the 2026 World Cup as defending champions in Group J, with the squad spine from the 2022 Qatar campaign largely intact. France and Spain are the two highest-ranked European sides; Germany and Brazil are the most active recent challengers. The 2026 winner becomes the third country to win on US soil (after Brazil in 1994 and the 2026 winner itself).