Skip to main content

Argentina to face Spain in the World Cup final: What to know

Pedro Porro of Spain celebrates after scoring their second goal against France during their FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal match in Arlington, Texas, July 14, 2026. (Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — Argentina’s Lionel Messi could add another milestone to his storied career on Sunday by winning his second World Cup title. To achieve that feat, the defending champions will have to beat Spain, a team that has only allowed one goal this entire tournament.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final arrives after 48 teams competed in over 100 matches across the United States, Mexico and Canada over the past six weeks.

Here’s what to know ahead of the final weekend of the World Cup.

How did Spain and Argentina get to the final?

Spain advanced to the final after defeating France, a two-time World Cup winner, on Tuesday in a 2-0 upset. France had been tipped as a strong contender for the trophy after previously topping the FIFA men’s ranking.

The Spanish men’s team, known as La Roja, won its first and only World Cup in 2010. The team most recently won the UEFA European championship in 2024, defeating England 2-1.

Meanwhile, Argentina proved resilient yet again with a stunning comeback against England in the final minutes of its semifinal match on Wednesday. England had been holding onto a 1-0 lead when two late goals from Argentina flipped the score. England was unable to respond and the final score was 2-1.

Argentina has won the World Cup three times, most recently in 2022 with a victory over France in penalty kicks. The team also won the last two Copa America championships in 2021 and 2024.

The final match will kick off on Sunday, July, 19, at 3 p.m. from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

What about the third place game?

England and France are not out of the tournament yet. The two will face each other in the third place game on Saturday, July 18, at 5 p.m. ET from Miami Gardens, Florida.

What other awards are handed out besides the trophy?

The tournament recognizes outstanding individuals through several awards, including the Golden Ball for best player, Golden Boot for top scorer, Golden Glove for best goalkeeper and the FIFA Young Player Award.

Medals will be handed out to the players and coaching staff of the first, second and third place winners.

Where can I watch the final?

The last match will air live in the U.S. on FOX for the English-language broadcast, with streaming on FOX One, and Telemundo for the Spanish-language broadcast. The Telemundo broadcast will also stream on Peacock.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

North Korea boosts support for Russia to include drone operators, Ukraine says

By CNN
Kyiv (CNN) — A new wave of North Korean troops, already numbering 8,500 in Russia, contains a drone unit that could attack targets inside Ukraine, according to a senior Ukrainian intelligence official.North Korea, who signed a NATO-style mutual defense pact with Russia two years ago, has been sending troops to assist Moscow’s military operations since late 2024 and may be asked to contribute up to 50,000 more when President Vladimir Putin meets his counterpart Kim Jong Un in September, according to Major General Vadym Skibitskiy, Deputy Head of Ukrainian Defense Intelligence.Such a move would mark a significant expansion of Moscow and Pyongyang’s military cooperation and comes as Ukraine is running painfully short of air defenses. It is another sign that Russia’s resources are stretched thin and welcoming to assistance, despite public statements of their economic resilience and military-industrial capacity.Skibitskiy said the North Korean troops already deployed are spread mostly in Russia’s Kursk region and include a thousand engineers and deminers. They also comprise 400 drone operators, many of whom have gained experience either in or from previous North Korean deployments, and whose drones will likely be used to both survey and attack targets inside Ukraine.North Korea’s deepening ties with Russia are troubling many in the NATO alliance, particularly after President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that military drills with South Korea would be scaled down so as not to antagonize Kim Jong Un - the reclusive North Korean leader whom Trump is eager to meet with again.Kim’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, denied claims that tens of thousands more North Koreans would soon join Russia’s efforts, calling it a “groundless self-fabricated scenario.”Ukrainian intelligence suggests North Korean troops sent to Russia will not fight on Ukrainian territory, Skibitskiy said, but will reinforce Russia’s rear positions, freeing up Russian troops for assaults inside Ukraine.Although Ukraine first warned that North Korean troops were using attack drones on their territory last October, this is the first indication the new wave of troops will have this capability. On top of Putin’s likely request for more troops, some 25,000 North Koreans have so far been deployed or rotated through Russia’s military, Skibitskiy added.The first North Korean deployment began in the Kursk region in October 2024, to repel a Ukrainian incursion, the first on Russian soil since the Nazis. North Korea remained silent for months about its initial deployment of troops to help Russia’s war machine, only confirming its soldiers were fighting against Ukraine in April 2025. An estimated 10,000 North Koreans were deployed and suffered significant casualties, having used suicidal tactics to rush Ukrainian positions en masse.North Korea’s willingness to sustain such losses reflects the reach of Russia’s global alliances and Moscow’s need for extra manpower. The wounded returned to North Korea able to teach their colleagues about drone warfare and the new reality of the tech-dominated frontlines.Highlighting the strength of the two countries’ ties, Russian state media has shown images of North Korean troops in training inside Russia over the past year, and Kim Jong Un opened a memorial to North Korea’s Ukraine dead in April.Skibitskiy also highlighted the extent to which North Korea is helping with missile technology for Russia’s offensive.He said that before August last year, at least 150 KN 23 or KN 24 ballistic missiles had been sent by North Korea for use inside Ukraine, and another 120 were promised. Such weapons are proving increasingly difficult for Kyiv to shoot down, with supplies of US Patriot interceptors – one of the few systems capable of taking down ballistic missiles pretty much exhausted.Forty of those have been delivered, Skibitskiy said, and two are suspected to have been used in Radushne, in the Dnipro Region, on 30 July in an attack that killed at least four children from the same family.About 90 personnel have been sent to Voronzeh to assist with missile launches, he said, with ten large cargo flights, possibly containing missiles from North Korea, landing in the Baltimore aerodrome in Voronezh area.Skibitskiy said more modern versions of the missiles had an extended range of 800km, but often landed 15-19km off target. He said North Korea was using the launches into Ukraine to improve their targeting and payload.In return for supplying Russia with manpower and munitions, North Korea has asked for the Russian S400 air defence system and has already received a Pantsir 1 surface to air missile launcher, Skibitskiy saidThe-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Read Next Story

Related Stories

Latest News
Esta fotoperiodista fue condenada a 15 años de prisión en Irán. Se niega a ser silenciada
51 minutes ago

Esta fotoperiodista fue condenada a 15 años de prisión en Irán. Se niega a ser silenciada

Fishermen floating in cooler rescued after 5 days stranded at sea

Un avión chárter con ocho personas a bordo se estrella en el oeste de Alaska

This photojournalist was sentenced to 15 years in an Iranian prison. She refuses to be silenced

Charter plane crashes in western Alaska, killing all 8 on board