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How to watch the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup today

▶ Watch Video: Fans elated for Argentina and Spain to face off in World Cup final

Editor’s Note: Spain wins 2026 FIFA World Cup with grueling 1-0 victory over Argentina. Our prior story is below.

After more than 100 soccer matches, the 2026 FIFA World Cup final is here, with teams representing Spain and Argentina facing off against each other on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. 

The game, starting at 3 p.m. ET, will air on FOX and Telemundo. 

Competition at this year’s World Cup began on June 11, when co-host Mexico played against South Africa in Mexico City. The U.S. first played the following day, defeating Paraguay 4-1. In the weeks since, the tournament was narrowed down to semifinals featuring Argentina vs. England, and Spain vs. France, with Spain and Argentina coming out on top to meet in the final.

The semifinals started July 14, with Spain defeating France in a dominant 2-0 win in Dallas. The following day, bitter rivals England and Argentina met in Atlanta, with Argentina rallying to edge England 2-1.

What to know about the 4 teams that made the semifinals

All four semifinal teams have previously made it to the World Cup final. It’s the first time since 1990 that the final four have been made up of previous World Cup winners. 

Argentina and France faced off against each other in the 2022 final in Qatar, with Argentina taking the title. Argentina also won in 1986 and 1978. 

France has claimed the title twice, first in 1998 and then again in 2018. England and Spain have both won the title just once, England in 1966 and Spain in 2010.

What to know about the halftime show at the final

In addition to world-class soccer, the final will also feature a halftime show with music performed by co-headliners Shakira, BTS, Madonna and Justin Bieber. There will also be music by Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel and PS22 Chorus. 

You can follow World Cup news and highlights throughout the action at CBSSports.com.

Who will win the Golden Boot?

The July 19 final will also likely determine the Golden Boot, an award presented to the top goalscorer in the tournament. France’s Kylian Mbappé racked up 10, while Argentina’s Lionel Messi headed into the final with eight.

Norway’s Erling Haaland, with seven goals, had been a contender, but his team was eliminated by England in the quarterfinals.

England’s Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane had six each. France’s Ousmane Dembélé had five. Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal scored his fifth goal of the World Cup during the semifinal match against France.  

Messi and Mbappé are among the all-time top scorers in FIFA World Cup history.

How to watch the World Cup final

  • What: World Cup final match between Spain and Argentina
  • Date: Sunday, July 19, 2026
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • On TV: FOX and Telemundo  — find your local stations here and here.
  • Online: Viewers can watch the match on FOX One and Peacock. It will also be available on other streaming providers like YouTube TV, Fubo or Hulu + Live TV, for a subscription fee. 
  • For more updates: Head to CBSNews.com and CBSSports.com. 

This story has been updated with Mbappé’s total of 10 goals in the tournament.

Western Europe breaks temperature record in summer plagued by heatwaves and wildfires

By CNN
(CNN) — The first two months of summer in western Europe have been the hottest on record, the European Union’s climate monitor said Monday, as the continent grapples with devastating wildfires and braces for yet another heatwave.The average temperature for June and July was 21.62 degrees Celsius (70.9 Fahrenheit), about 2.79 degrees above the average, and surpassing the previous heat record set in 2022, said the Copernicus climate change service.July was also the hottest month ever logged for the world’s non-polar oceans, Copernicus said, with record high temperatures set along the Atlantic and western Mediterranean, putting sea life and coastal communities at risk. The conditions were partly fueled by the so-called “Super” El Niño weather pattern developing in the pacific.The continent has been hit by a string of deadly heatwaves, with more hot temperatures forecast for this week. Heat has killed more than 25,000 people across Europe this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent but is particularly ill-equipped to withstand heat, due to older infrastructure and a lack of air conditioning.The scorching temperatures and persistent droughts in June and July mutually reinforced each other to create a hot weather spiral, according to Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.“As soils dry out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing heat to build more readily,” Burgess said, adding that it was “a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes.”Surface soil moisture levels across western Europe in July 2026 were also “significantly lower” than in July 2022, the last summer the region saw extreme drought, with “exceptional to record deficits” for rain and soil moisture in France, Spain and parts of Germany and the United Kingdom, the scientists found.The record-breaking summer heat has fostered conditions for Europe’s record-setting wildfires, which have displaced hundreds of thousands of people and burned more than 1.23 million acres of land, mainly in Spain, France and Italy, according to an August 6 report by the EU.Beyond the scorched land, the fires have also had a broader effect across the continent, increasing emissions and disrupting air quality, said Laurence Rouil, director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.“Larger fires produce more smoke and inject it higher into the atmosphere, meaning it can travel further and impact air quality not only locally, but across the wider region,” Rouil said.Severe droughts have also sucked the water from Europe’s major rivers, particularly the Seine, the Rhine and the Danube, threatening the continent’s energy supply.Hungary and Romania were forced to temporarily shut down nuclear reactors cooled by the Danube, Europe’s second-longest river, which has experienced such low water levels that the crisis can be observed from space.Richard Allan, a climate science professor at the University of Reading in England previously told CNN the these record river lows are likely to be broken again in the future and that this “will only be the top of the iceberg.”“Managing water resources will become progressively more challenging.”The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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