One hundred and four matches, 48 nations, 16 host cities: the World Cup 2026 will go down as the longest and most packed edition in tournament history. Thirty-nine days after the opening whistle in Mexico City on June 11, 2026, the Spain clinched its second title by beating Argentina (1-0 after extra time) in the final, while the France national team finished fourth after a wildly chaotic third-place playoff against England (4-6).
In Paris and the Île-de-France, the final evening played out in the fan zones of the 19th arrondissement, along the banks of the Seine, and in the bars of the 11th, where all eyes were on the scorer’s name and on Lionel Messi’s fate. Here are all the scores, day by day, from the first match to the final whistle.
Spain are the 2026 world champions. Sixteen years after their first title, La Roja under Luis de la Fuente dominated Argentina from start to finish at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, but could not break the deadlock before extra time.
It took until the 106th minute and a setup from Nico Williams for Ferran Torres to unlock the game for his side (1-0). The Argentines, who were down to ten after Enzo Fernández’s red card, hung on thanks to a phenomenal Emiliano Martínez, who finished with eleven saves. The stats tell the story: 68% possession and twenty shots for Spain, three for the Albiceleste. The match details can be found on franceinfo.
No one wanted to back down, and it went down in the history books: England defeated France 6-4 on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, making it the most high-scoring third-place game ever contested.
Trailing 4-0 at halftime, after Declan Rice (3), Ezri Konsa (18) and a Bukayo Saka double (37, 45+1), the Blues roared back to 4-3 in eighteen minutes (48, 54, 66), fuelled by the introductions of Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola and by Mbappé’s brace. Saka completed his hat-trick from the spot (87) before Dembélé (90+6) and Jude Bellingham (90+8) sealed the final score.
For Didier Deschamps, it marked his 187th and final match in charge of the Blues, after fourteen years at the helm. The full run of the team is detailed on the French Football Federation’s site. As for the English, this third place is their best World Cup result since the 1966 title.
Seventy-two matches across twelve groups of four teams, from June 11 to June 28, 2026. The top two in each group and the eight best third-placed sides have booked their tickets to the round of 16, a new knockout round created by the switch to 48 teams.
Some takeaways along the way: Germany's 7-1 thrashing of Curaçao remains the standout scoreline of the tournament, but the Mannschaft ultimately stumbled against Ecuador (2-1) and never really inspired confidence. Cape Verde, the only one of the four newcomers to advance past the group stage, pulled off the shock by drawing 0-0 with Spain in their opener, against a future world champion who would go on to concede only one goal in eight matches.
Sixteen matches between June 28 and July 4, 2026, and already some real scares. Germany and the Netherlands were knocked out on penalties, a double elimination that left its mark on the tournament.
Eight matches were played from July 4 to 7, 2026. It was at this stage that Brazil bowed out, defeated by a Norway led by Erling Haaland, while the United States—co-hosts—found themselves outpaced by Belgium.
Four fixtures, four very different storylines, from July 9 to 12, 2026. In a rare turn of events: the four top-ranked nations in the FIFA standings have reached the semifinals.
Four matches to close the tournament, scheduled between July 14 and 19, 2026. Didier Deschamps' France, undefeated so far with six wins from six, were halted by Spain on Bastille Day.
With 82,500 seats allocated for the tournament, MetLife Stadium was the World Cup’s largest venue. Located about fifteen kilometers west of Manhattan, it normally hosts the NFL’s Giants and Jets, and it thus watched Spain join the rarefied club of nations with multiple World Cup titles.
Spain's La Roja swept the board. Rodri claimed the adidas Ballon d'Or for the tournament's best player, ahead of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, while Unai Simon walked away with the Golden Glove (just one goal conceded in eight games) and Pau Cubarsi earned the Young Player of the Tournament award.
The only trophy to elude the Spaniards goes to the captain of the Blues: Kylian Mbappé clinches the Golden Boot with ten goals and four assists, becoming the first player to win the prize in two consecutive editions. Jude Bellingham completes the top three among scorers with seven goals, Michael Olise finishes as the top assist provider, and the Netherlands take home the Fair Play trophy. Across all 104 matches, FIFA reports nearly 6.9 million spectators in the stands.
One of the big changes this edition: for the first time in more than forty-five years, TF1 broadcast no matches. The M6 group picked up free-to-air rights and offered 54 matches free on M6 and M6+, including all of France’s fixtures, the two semifinals, the bronze medal match, and the final. beIN Sports carried all 104 games on a subscription basis. Highlights and recaps remain available on replay on both platforms, free on M6+ and via subscription on beIN, as long as the rights permit.
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