World Cup Final Is Set: Spain Advances as England and Argentina Battle for the Last Spot

World Cup semifinal week has delivered exactly the kind of drama fans wanted, and it’s turned into appointment viewing for anyone with a bet, a bracket, or just a rooting interest left. Spain is through to Sunday’s final, and today’s England-Argentina showdown decides who joins them.

Spain Crashes the Party

France came into its semifinal as one of the tournament favorites, loaded with attacking talent and a deep run already banked. Spain didn’t care. Mikel Oyarzabal buried a first-half penalty after a foul on teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, and Pedro Porro added a gorgeous second-half goal to make it 2-0 final. Goalkeeper Unai Simon didn’t need to make many saves because Spain controlled the game from start to finish.

That result sends Spain back to the World Cup final for the first time since they won the whole thing in 2010, and it’s only the second final trip in the country’s history. If you’re planning a watch party for the final on Sunday, Spain just became the team everyone will be talking about, win or lose.

Atlanta Hosts the Main Event Today

Grab your snacks early, because today’s semifinal between England and Argentina at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (3 p.m. ET) has the makings of a classic. Both teams needed extra time just to get here. England beat Norway 2-1 thanks to a Jude Bellingham brace, while Argentina survived a wild one against Switzerland that included a late red card against the Swiss.

This is about as even as a matchup gets on paper, and prediction markets agree — pricing puts England only narrowly ahead of Argentina to advance. Whichever way it breaks, expect a packed house and a nervy final whistle, since neither side has looked comfortable closing out these knockout games.

The Messi Factor

No matter what the scoreline says today, Lionel Messi is going to be the center of attention. Argentina’s captain, wearing his familiar number 10, is playing in his sixth and final World Cup and has already claimed the title of all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history. A win over England sends him to a second consecutive final, and there’s an obvious storybook angle to Messi getting one more shot at lifting the trophy before he’s done playing on this stage.

That kind of narrative tends to pull in casual viewers who don’t normally follow soccer closely, which makes today’s match must-watch television even for people who couldn’t name a starting XI a month ago.

Setting Up Sunday’s Final

However today’s semifinal plays out, Spain will be waiting in New Jersey on Sunday for the biggest match of the tournament. It’s shaping up as one of the more compelling finals in recent memory, with a Spanish side that’s dropped very few points all tournament facing either an England team looking for redemption or an Argentina squad chasing back-to-back titles behind its all-time legend.

If you’re hosting friends for the final, it’s worth lining up your platform of choice ahead of time. Checking a DraftKings Promo Code offer or a FanDuel Promo Code beforehand means you’re not scrambling for an account right as kickoff approaches. And if you want a beginner-friendly explainer for anyone at the watch party asking how the odds actually work, the how betting odds work guide is a quick read before Sunday’s final gets underway.

Building the Perfect Watch Party

Semifinal-to-final week is exactly the kind of stretch that turns casual fans into full-blown superfans for a few days, and today’s match has all the ingredients for a memorable watch party. Order food early, because both Atlanta and New Jersey have hosted massive crowds all tournament, and local restaurants near stadium sites have been slammed on match days. If you’re not near either city, plenty of sports bars are already promoting watch-party specials tied to today’s kickoff.

For anyone debating whether to travel for the final, tickets for high-demand World Cup matches have moved quickly all summer, and Sunday’s final in New Jersey is unlikely to be any different given the storylines involved. Even for those watching from home, this is shaping up as the kind of final people will be talking about for years, especially if Messi gets his shot at one more trophy.

The Bigger Picture

What makes this stretch of the tournament so compelling is how contrasting the two semifinal results have been. Spain’s win over France was comprehensive and, in hindsight, not particularly close once the second goal went in. Today’s England-Argentina match looks like the opposite: a genuine coin flip between two teams that have each needed extra time just to survive the quarterfinal round. That contrast alone should make for a fascinating final, whichever way today breaks.