This page tracked the business end of the 2026 World Cup — every knockout result through the final. The tournament is now complete; the "Updated" date at the top marks the final revision. All times are US Eastern. * Champions: Spain (July 19, 2026). Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The match was scoreless through 90 minutes and went to extra time, where Ferran Torres struck in the 106th minute to settle it (ABC News). It is Spain's second World Cup, sixteen years after their first in 2010 — and, with Spain's women having won the 2023 tournament, it makes Spain the first country ever to hold both the men's and women's World Cups simultaneously. * So close for Argentina: the defending champions were bidding to become the first nation to win consecutive World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. They could not break Spain down, and Torres' extra-time goal ended the dream. Lionel Messi's tournament — and, in all likelihood, his World Cup career — closes with a runners-up medal. * Third-place match (July 18, Miami): England beat France 6-4 in a chaotic bronze-medal game at Hard Rock Stadium. England led 4-0 at halftime through Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and two from Bukayo Saka, before France stormed back with four second-half goals, including a Kylian Mbappé brace that made him the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history (Al Jazeera; ESPN). Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot late on, and Jude Bellingham sealed the win. It was the highest-scoring World Cup match since 1982. * How the finalists got there: - Semifinal 1 (July 14, Dallas): Spain beat France 2-0 — Mikel Oyarzabal converted a 22nd-minute penalty won by Lamine Yamal, and Pedro Porro added a second in the 58th (NBC News). - Semifinal 2 (July 15, Atlanta): Argentina beat England 2-1 — Anthony Gordon put England ahead in the 55th, then Lionel Messi assisted Enzo Fernández (85th) and Lautaro Martínez (90+2) for a late comeback (FIFA). - Quarterfinals: Spain edged Belgium 2-1 on July 10 (Mikel Merino, 88th); Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra time on July 11. * Final standings at the top: 1) Spain, 2) Argentina, 3) England, 4) France. That closes the 2026 World Cup. * Update — August 3, 2026: the tournament is over, but the World Cup is back on the front pages anyway — this time for the business, not the football. FIFA agreed to sell a stake in the World Cup’s commercial arm to a Kushner-backed fund, UEFA’s member nations answered with a 55-0 boycott vote, and Gianni Infantino is staring at a September 19 deadline. That fight now has its own living page: follow every development in our FIFA World Cup stake sale tracker.