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Every four years, the world's best footballing nations compete to lift the most famous soccer trophy of them all — the World Cup.

For the first time ever, 48 teams will contest the 2026 Finals across 104 matches before a winner is declared in New Jersey at MetLifeStadium next month.

Co-hosts USA, Mexico and Canada will all be hoping they can reach the latter stages of the tournament, but expect powerhouses Argentina, Brazil and France to be among the contenders to lift the trophy.

The Sporting News looks ahead to the World Cup final for fans keen to mark their diaries to ensure they don't miss the showpiece event of the summer.

2026 WORLD CUP HQ: Latest World Cup news | World Cup draw results | World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup tickets

When is World Cup final? Date, kickoff time

The World Cup final is set to take place on Sunday, July 19 with kickoff at 3 p.m. ET.

MORE: Complete list of teams to have qualified for the World Cup 

World Cup 2026 final venue

MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, has been confirmed as the location for the World Cup final.

The 82,500 seater stadium will also host five group stage games, featuring Brazil, Morocco, France, Senegal, Norway, Ecuador, Germany, England and Panama, before staging knockout ties in the Round of 32 and Round 16, respectively.

Standing proudly for over a decade now, MetLife Stadium is the home venue for the Giants and Jets, making it one of only two NFL stadiums shared by two teams.

In its 14 years, MetLife has hosted Super Bowl XLVIII and is one of 11 U.S. venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in which it'll be hosting the final. 

What we know about World Cup final halftime show

FIFA are planning to showcase a halftime show during the World Cup final on July 19.

Madonna, Shakira and K-pop boy band BTS will co-headline the Super Bowl-style half-time show at this summer's World Cup final.

The show is expected to last around 11 minutes to avoid interfering with the usual 15 minute halftime break football players are used to.

Coldplay's Chris Martin has been tasked with putting together the show and will raise money for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100m (£73m) for children worldwide.

MORE WORLD CUP NEWS:

Dan Gibbs

Dan joined The Sporting News as a sub-editor in 2022, having previously been the deputy sports editor at the Daily Star and a sports journalist at The Metro, focusing on football and tennis. Often found following his team home and away, the most famous red and blue shirt in football ... Crystal Palace.

Source: Sporting News