LIVE UPDATES | World Cup final, Spain v Argentina, all the build

Refresh for latest updates. Read from bottom up …

9.06pm – 1min – That’s kickoff – we are under way!

9.04pm –… and we await kickoff!

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟞 🏆

▶️ Let the game begin!

🇪🇸 🆚 🇦🇷

🚨 LIVE
🥇 Final
📺 SABC 1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball#FIFAWorldCup#AllOfUsAllInKaofelapic.twitter.com/vIcnV4Oot3

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) July 19, 2026

8.59pm –and there’s the anthems.

8.57pm –… and they take the field …

8.55pm –The teams are in the tunnel …

8.45pm – There’s the US anthem …

8.44pm – The scene inside New York New Jersey Stadium:

The scene at MetLife Stadium 40 minutes before kickoff, as both #Spain and #Argentina warm up. The lower bowl is almost completely full, while the upper deck is too. The middle tier is still filling in. pic.twitter.com/Cc4u0WqmWv

— Kyle Bonn (@the_bonnfire) July 19, 2026

8.15pm – The Starting XIs and how the two teams will be set out:

(And with that your blogger will take a short break, to rest his fingers [and nerves!] from the furious typing that has been, and that to come)

Here’s how Spain and Argentina line up for the World Cup final 🇪🇸🇦🇷🏆🆚

Luis de la Fuente sticks with the same Spain side that started their semi-final win over France, with Lionel Scaloni making three changes to the Argentina XI that beat England, with Gonzalo Montiel, Rodrigo… pic.twitter.com/8tXXqQtyUa

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 19, 2026

Spain and Argentina’s starting XI for the World Cup final ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/X2zszI8i8K

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 19, 2026

8.03pm – From Google AI, Al Jazeera and Fifa.com, here are some key stats on the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. What stands out is Spain are the best defensive team in the tournament (1 goal conceded) and Argentina the best attacking (a record 19 scored).

Final key statistics:

Teams

Ahead of the historic 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Spain and Argentina boast balanced historical statistics alongside opposing tactical strengths.

The lifetime record between the two national teams is completely even. Their only previous World Cup meeting occurred in 1966, where Argentina won 2–1.

• Total Matches: 14
• Spain Wins: 6
• Argentina Wins: 6
• Draws: 2

The two teams reached the final showcasing entirely different team dynamics throughout the group and knockout stages.

Goals Scored: Spain 13 / Argentina 19 (tournament high)

Goals Conceded: Spain 1 (6 clean sheets) Argentina 7

Passes Completed: Spain 4,156 / Argentina 4,324Passing

Pass Accuracy: Spain 91% / Argentina 91%

Forced Turnovers: Spain 343 / Argentina 297

Total Distance Covered: Spain 799,554m / Argentina 813,091m

Individual

Lionel Messi (Argentina): Enters the final with 8 goals and 4 assists. A goal makes him the oldest scorer in a World Cup final at 39 years old.

Lamine Yamal (Spain): Leads the tournament with 30 completed dribbles. If Spain win, he becomes the joint-fourth youngest world champion in history.

7.55pm – Closing (and opening) ceremonies have changed. Soccer City/FNB Stadium on July 11 2010 in South Africa killed that.

Still, great tunes, nice vibes, colourful and getting us in the mood and the juices flowing.

This is when you know it’s a World Cup final! The most-watched match in world sport, by thousands of miles! We wait four years for this moment. The we wait again. And it’s back again!

One hour, five minutes to go! Let’s go!

⚽️ 𝔽𝕀𝔽𝔸 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟞 ℂ𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℂ𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕪 🎇

🎶 The #ClosingCeremony of the #FIFAWorldCup 2026!

🇪🇸 🆚 🇦🇷

🚨 LIVE
🥇 Final
📺 SABC 1 | SABC 3
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportFootball#AllOfUsAllInKaofelapic.twitter.com/WNIlF73xem

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) July 19, 2026

7.45pm – Some scenes from in an around New York New Jersey Stadium:

🔴 Así se vive el ambiente en Nueva York-Nueva Jersey previo a la gran final del Mundial 2026 entre España y Argentina.

📹 Redes sociales pic.twitter.com/4yp79urMH2

— Luis Alberto Medina (@elalbertomedina) July 19, 2026

Tempo 🇭🇹prezan nan New York New Jersey Stadium pou final Mondyal FIFA 2026 ant Ajantin ak Espay pic.twitter.com/SESgBlzJRQ

— Haiti-Tempo (@Haititempo) July 19, 2026

La afición ya llega al estadio de la gran final de la Copa del Mundo 2026 🏆⚽️

🚨 Los filtros para ingresar y el número de elementos es impresionante en el New Jersey – New York Stadium 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/UVQwUscAPY

— De10Sports (@De10Sports) July 19, 2026

🇪🇸 ¡La Marea Roja ya está en las inmediaciones del MetLife Stadium de Nueva Jersey!

🗣️ Los aficionados cantaron ‘El novio de la muerte’ en su travesía al estadio pic.twitter.com/UA1trwOIoi

— Vozpópuli (@voz_populi) July 19, 2026

7.43pm – Yes, that’s the closing ceremony under way …

7.36pm –… which is set to be short and sweet, a la the opening ceremony in Mexico City 39 days ago …

7.35pm – Apparently the closing ceremony is set to begin in New Jersey …

7.28pm – A quick relocation by your blogger, from his living room to IT Corner in Melville (fears over his streaming crashing at home) … and, what the heck, nothing wrong with a bit of an atmosphere for a World Cup final.

One hour 31 minutes now to the greatest game in football. Excitement mounting …

7.07pm – From Sky Sports News, South American Football expert Phil Vickery “dissects the World Cup final showdown between Argentina and Spain, weighing in on what a win would mean for Lionel Messi’s legacy”:

🗣️ “If Messi can pull it off, I don’t think there’s any doubt.”

South American football expert Tim Vickery dissects the World Cup final showdown between Argentina and Spain, weighing in on what a win would mean for Lionel Messi’s legacy 🔝 pic.twitter.com/Q6rcH73iGU

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 19, 2026

7.05pm – From Sky Sports News, what the two finalist teams’ fans have to say in New Jersey:

Argentina and Spain fans look ahead to today’s World Cup final in New Jersey 🏆 pic.twitter.com/2Xa6WDj32V

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 19, 2026

6.37pm – From the BBC … How the World Cup Final will be WON & LOST … a really good deep tactical breakdown:

6.01pm – And a little more video:

The defending Champions & the challengers. #FIFAWorldCuppic.twitter.com/NzuPaVmxM2

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 19, 2026

The last #FIFAWorldCup Final was absolute cinema 🍿 pic.twitter.com/Um1GfqujAG

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 19, 2026

La Albiceleste are looking to join an exclusive club on Sunday night 🏆🛡️

Can they go back-to-back? Find out on SuperSport with coverage starting at 18:30 (CAT) 📺#SSFootball | #DStvFIFAWorldCup2026 | #FIFAWorldCuppic.twitter.com/4IO1rmXfXr

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) July 19, 2026

5.39pm – Here is some video building up to the final:

Mikel Merino couldn’t believe Lionel Messi’s photo with a young Lamine Yamal was real! 😅 pic.twitter.com/Wc7AGW9izc

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) July 17, 2026

Michael Owen and Emile Heskey give their predictions for the World Cup final 🇪🇸🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/FxyFz0xyck

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) July 17, 2026

La Furia Roja are focused 😤🇪🇸

Can they add a second star to their crest in New Jersey tonight? ⭐⌛#SSFootballl | #DStvFIFAWorldCup2026 | #FIFAWorldCuppic.twitter.com/p33vVPoMv4

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) July 19, 2026

Listen to the noise 🔊

The Argentinian fans went crazy when Lautaro Martinez scored his stoppage-time winner against England 🥳🎉#SSFootball | #DStvFIFAWorldCup2026 | #FIFAWorldCuppic.twitter.com/ooZq5mZRsp

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) July 19, 2026

Argentina fans have taken over Times Square the night before the 2026 World Cup Final 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/lj83pB7WaL

— Ultras Clips (@ultras_clips) July 19, 2026

🚨 The first-ever FIFA World Cup halftime show will feature performances from:

🇨🇴 Shakira
🇺🇸 Madonna
🇨🇦 Justin Bieber
🇻🇪 Gustavo Dudamel
🇬🇧 Coldplay
🇳🇬 Burna Boy
🇰🇷 BTS pic.twitter.com/9EyFC0Wtb1

— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) July 18, 2026

5.34pm – Here are the match officials for the final:

• Referee: Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)
• First assistant referee: Tomaž Klančnik (Slovenia)
• Second assistant referee: Andraž Kovačič (Slovenia)
• Fourth official: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
• Reserve assistant referee: Mohammad Al-Kalaf (Jordan)

• Video assistant referee: Bastian Dankert (Germany)
• Assistant VAR: Nicolás Gallo (Colombia)
• Support VAR: Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar)

5.29pm – To start: here are some match facts:

• 3pm in New Jersey, 9pm South Africa time

• New York New Jersey Stadium

From Wikipedia: “MetLife Stadium, temporarily known as New York New Jersey Stadium for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, is a multi-purpose stadium located at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 8km west of New York City. Opened in 2010, it replaced Giants Stadium and serves as the home for the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). At an approximate cost of $1.6bn, it was the most expensive stadium built in the US at the time of its completion.”

• 82,500

• 1.30pm in New Jersey, 7.30pm SA time

• Post Malone (headliner), Robbie Williams, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, IShowSpeed

In US Superbowl style, there will be a half time show for the World Cup final for the first time in history. That means half time will be 17 minutes long rather than the standard 15 minutes.

• Performers: Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, BTS

• SABC 3 and SuperSport channel 202, Streamed on SABC+ and DStv Stream

5.15pm –And here we are.

From Bafana Bafana’s 2-0 defeat kickoff match against Mexico at the Azteca on June 11, way back 39 days ago now, 103 matches later, 48 teams have been whittled down to two for the 104th and biggest match of them all, the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.

The semifinals were one engrossing (Spain muscling out tournament favourites France), one thrilling and fiery (Lionel-Messi inspired Argentina beating heated rivals England by staging a stunning comeback).

And that leaves us with this monumentally huge clash at New York New Jersey Stadium (9pm SA time) where coach Luis de la Fuente’s 2010 champions Spain meet the defending champions and three-time winners (1978, 1986 and 2022) in coach Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina.

The game, of course, features the <a href="https://www.sundaytimes.timeslive.co.za/sport/2026-07-17-messi-plans-grandest-exit-yamal-who-argentine-bathed-as-a-baby-to-announce-he-is-the-future/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>fascinating subplot of the contest between 39-year-old Messi, seeking to write his name further into football immorality; and the future of the game, Spain’s 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, inheritor of Messi’s No 10 jersey at Barcelona who has been breaking the Argentine’s records at junior and senior level.

I am your LIVE UPDATES BLOGGER, Arena Holdings Digital and TimesLIVE sports editor Marc Strydom. I am not in New Jersey Stadium but in my living room in Melville Johannesburg but will endeavour to bring you the blow-by-blow build-up and action like I was there.

The World Cup final, ladies and gentleman! There’s nothing else quite like it! Not even by a hundred miles.

Pull up your various beverages, get the popcorn and hotdogs ready in your lounges. TV rooms, living areas, restaurants, bars, taverns and shebeens.

Love and sap up every kick, VAR drama, Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino faux pas and every moment. Here we go. One of the world’s greatest sporting spectacles is just a few hours away.

Enjoy!

🇪🇦🆚🇦🇷 This is where the World Cup final match between Spain and Argentina will be played. MetLife Stadium in the USA, which has a capacity of 82,500. 🏆🏟️#España#fifaworldcuppic.twitter.com/gni5UwKPMp

— G@vin (@Gavin22j) July 19, 2026

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 19, 2026

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• Star player profileshere
• Bafana newshere