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The 2026 FIFA World Cup Final was always going to feature a bit of caution.
Argentina and Spain both want to win, of course. But they also want to avoid a mistake that could cost them the trophy.
And sometimes, that leads to low-scoring affairs. It can lead to extra time. It can even lead to penalties.
It would certainly be dramatic if 90 minutes of the World Cup Final weren't enough to decide the champion.
Here's how it would work if that's the case.
MORE: Ted Lasso and Justin Bieber showed up at halftime
What happens if it's tied?
If it's tied after 90 minutes plus stoppage time, the World Cup Final goes to extra time.
That's the equivalent of what American sports refer to as "overtime."
World Cup extra time rules for Spain-Argentina
There is no golden goal, also known as "sudden death."
Instead, if Spain and Argentina are tied at the end of regulation, they play two 15-minute halves of extra times. They switch ends at halftime of extra time.
Even if a team scores a goal early in extra time, the entire half hour of extra time has to be played.
There is also stoppage time at the end of each half of extra time, if there were any injuries, substitutions or other stoppages in that span of time.
Teams also get an additional substitute to use during extra time.
If it is still tied after the 30 minutes of extra time, it goes to penalties.
World Cup penalty rules for Spain-Argentina
If the match goes to penalties, it sets up for five penalty takers on each side.
Any player who was on the pitch at the end of extra time can take a penalty for England or Argentina.
The teams alternate, and at the end of five kicks apiece, if one team is ahead, they advance.
If the teams are tied after five kicks, they go to sudden death, one round at a time to determine who wins the World Cup.
More FIFA World Cup news:
- Erling Haaland brought a wild $750 gift home from the World Cup
- An on-brand finish to Neymar's Brazil career
- Christian Pulisic gives a terrible answer after World Cup-ending loss
- Jerry Jones booed during World Cup match in Dallas
- Actor who played Dani Rojas in Ted Lasso makes pro soccer debut
Billy Heyen
Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim's basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive high school sports coverage at the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men's national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. When people ask if he's seen a movie, the answer is usually "No, I was probably watching sports." Even away from sports, his main hobby is running (much slower than any athlete in these pages).
Source: Sporting News
