Overview
- England beat France 6-4 on Saturday in the highest‑scoring third‑place match in World Cup history as Kylian Mbappé scored twice to reach 22 career World Cup goals and become the tournament's all‑time leading scorer.
- Spain and Argentina are set to play the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday with Argentina chasing consecutive World Cup titles and Messi likely making his final appearance at the tournament.
- If Messi scores twice in the final he will reclaim the all‑time World Cup scoring record from Mbappé who currently leads by one goal.
- Organizers and teams are monitoring poor air quality caused by Canadian wildfire smoke in the New York–New Jersey region while a crowd of more than 80,000 is expected and high‑profile guests including President Trump will attend.
- The final pits Spain's near‑impenetrable defence, which has conceded one goal in the tournament, against Argentina's string of late comebacks and extra‑time wins in a tournament expanded to 48 teams that has produced unexpected drama and stretched schedules.