Argentina broke England's heart in six minutes. Now there are two teams left.

Who won yesterday's World Cup games?

Argentina did, and they did it in the cruelest way the sport allows: by being completely fine for 84 minutes and then absolutely lethal for six.

Argentina 2, England 1

There was one semifinal on Wednesday, in front of 68,239 people in Atlanta, and for an hour it was mostly shoving. Fouls, arguing, and zero real chances in the first half. It was less a soccer game than a staring contest with cleats.

Then England scored. Harry Kane started it, Morgan Rogers whipped a low cross to the back post in the 55th minute, and Anthony Gordon slipped in front of his defender to knock it in. England led. England were 35 minutes from the final. And then England did the thing you should never do against Argentina: they sat on it.

Argentina threw everything at them. Jordan Pickford saved a header. Alexis Mac Allister hit the post. Pickford stopped Enzo Fernández from distance. And then, in the 85th minute, Messi slid a pass to Fernández on the edge of the box, and this time the shot went in. Two minutes into stoppage time, with extra time basically already on the schedule, Messi delivered a cross so perfect it should be framed, and substitute Lautaro Martínez headed it home. 2-1. England on the turf. Argentina to the final.

Everyman take: this was a prevent defense giving up two touchdowns in the last two minutes, except the quarterback throwing them is 39 years old and did not even score. Messi did not put the ball in the net once. He just handed the ball to two teammates and told them where to be. He now joins Cafu as the only players to appear in three World Cup finals, which is the soccer version of a quarterback reaching three Super Bowls across three different decades.

Who plays today? (July 16, 2026)

Nobody. There are no World Cup games today, and none tomorrow either. Two teams are eliminated, two are packing for New Jersey, and the tournament that has been serving us soccer every single day since June 11 has abruptly cut us off.

This is the bye week before the Super Bowl, condensed into a long weekend. Nothing happens on the field. Everything happens on television, where roughly 400 analysts will now spend 72 hours explaining Lamine Yamal to your uncle.

• Saturday, July 18: France vs. England, 5 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens. Fox and Telemundo. The third-place game, a contest neither team wants to play and both will absolutely try to win anyway.
• Sunday, July 19: Spain vs. Argentina, 3 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Fox and Telemundo. The final.

Spain vs. Argentina: what time and channel (July 19, 2026)

The 2026 World Cup final kicks off Sunday, July 19 at 3 p.m. ET on Fox and Telemundo, from MetLife Stadium. It is the champion of Europe against the champion of South America, and it is the only game left that matters.

Spain got here by beating France 2-0 on Tuesday in Dallas. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a 22nd-minute penalty after Lamine Yamal drew a foul from Lucas Digne, Pedro Porro added the second in the 58th, and Kylian Mbappé never got a clean look all night. It is Spain's first final since 2010.

Here is the matchup in NFL terms: Spain are the top seed that wins with structure. They possess, they squeeze, they suffocate, and Yamal, an 18-year-old wideout who plays like a ten-year veteran, is the one guy allowed to freelance. Argentina are the defending champs who keep winning ugly. They needed extra time to beat Cape Verde. They came back from 2-0 down against Egypt. They needed extra time again against Switzerland. And every single time, the same 39-year-old shows up in the fourth quarter.

Upset risk: there is no underdog, but there is a pattern. Spain have been the better team for a month. Argentina have been the better team for about eleven minutes per game, and those eleven minutes keep being the last eleven. Nobody has repeated as champion since Brazil in 1962. We are breaking the whole thing down in NFL language on the GameDay School YouTube channel before Sunday.

What channel are the World Cup final and third-place game on?

Both air on Fox in English and Telemundo in Spanish, with streaming on the Fox Sports app, Fox One, and Peacock. France vs. England is Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. Spain vs. Argentina is Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. For every channel, stream, and login you might need, use the complete How-to-Watch guide or stream every game here.

New here? Start with these

If you have successfully avoided this tournament for five weeks and are only now being invited to a watch party on Sunday, congratulations: you picked the perfect moment. One game. Two teams. No group-stage math. We explain every rule, every bracket, and every theatrical collapse using NFL and baseball language on the GameDay School YouTube channel. Three days is plenty of time to fake a lifetime of fandom.

• Start with How the 2026 World Cup Works for the bracket and how a final actually gets decided.
• Use How to Watch the 2026 World Cup for every channel and stream.
• Catch up with our last recap (July 12) for how the quarterfinals set all of this up.

FAQ: World Cup July 16, 2026

Are there any World Cup games today, July 16?

No. There are no World Cup games on July 16 or July 17. The semifinals finished Wednesday, July 15. France vs. England play the third-place game Saturday, July 18 at 5 p.m. ET in Miami, and the final is Sunday, July 19 at 3 p.m. ET in New Jersey.

Did England win their World Cup game?

No. England lost 2-1 to Argentina in the semifinal in Atlanta on July 15. Anthony Gordon put England ahead in the 55th minute, but Enzo Fernández equalized in the 85th and Lautaro Martínez headed in the winner in stoppage time, both set up by Lionel Messi. England now play France in the third-place game.

What time is the World Cup final and what channel is it on?

Spain vs. Argentina kicks off Sunday, July 19 at 3 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Fox in English and Telemundo in Spanish.

Who is winning the World Cup Golden Boot?

Lionel Messi. He and Kylian Mbappé are tied at eight goals each, but Messi's two assists against England pushed him to four for the tournament against Mbappé's three, and assists are the first tiebreaker. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are next with six apiece. Mbappé can still add to his total in Saturday's third-place game, and Messi has the final.