The 2026 football World Cup has reached its business end, and the story so far has been one of the host nations bowing out early. Mexico, Canada and the United States jointly hosted the tournament, but all three are now out of contention. Only four teams remain in the race for the trophy, France, Spain, England and Argentina, and they will play two more semifinal games this week, followed by a match to decide third place and a final to close out the competition.
The Most-Watched World Cup Yet
Going into this year's tournament, FIFA had projected it would become the most watched edition in the organization's history. That prediction was already bearing out by the time the competition reached the quarterfinals earlier this month, when FIFA noted that more than 6.2 million people had attended matches in person, while millions more followed the action across digital platforms, broadcast and fan experiences in host cities and around the world. The full schedule, which defaults to a viewer's local time zone, is available on the FIFA website.
The Semifinal Fixtures
The first semifinal pits France against Spain at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, kicking off at 3 pm ET on Tuesday, July 14. The second semifinal sees England take on Argentina at Atlanta Stadium, starting at 3 pm ET on Wednesday, July 15.
Third Place and the Final
The two teams that lose their semifinal matches will not go home empty handed on the schedule front, they will instead face off for third place at 5 pm ET on Saturday, July 18, at Miami Stadium in Miami, Florida. The World Cup final itself is set for 3 pm ET on Sunday, July 19, at the New York/New Jersey Stadium, where the tournament's champion will finally be crowned.
A Halftime Show Built Like the Super Bowl
The final will also carry a piece of World Cup history, marking the first-ever Super Bowl style halftime show in the tournament's history. The lineup includes performances from Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Gustavo Dudamel. As the name suggests, that show will likely land right in the middle of the broadcast, so viewers are being told to tune in around 4 pm ET on July 19 to catch it.
How to Watch the Final Games
Anyone with a satellite or cable TV connection can watch the final kickoffs live in the US via Fox Sports. The games are also available on the FoxOne streaming service for $20 per month. FIFA has partnered with YouTube as its preferred partner for streaming the tournament, which means viewers will need YouTube TV's sports plan, currently priced at $55 per month. Other paid options include Fubo at $46 per month and Hulu's live sports option at $90 per month. In partnership with Telemundo, Peacock is streaming all of the games in Spanish. A full list of official broadcasters is available on the FIFA website.
Why the Format Looks Different This Year
This World Cup has been massive in scale, since it is the first edition to feature 48 teams in the tournament rather than the 32 that took part in past editions. That jump in team numbers meant the structure of the competition itself had to change from previous World Cups. Countries were first sorted into groups labeled with letters A through L and played their opening games within those groups during the First Stage. Winners from those group matches then advanced to a stage called the Round of 32, before being further narrowed down in a Round of 16. From there, the surviving winners moved on to the quarterfinals, which wrapped up last weekend, setting up the final four teams now chasing the trophy.
