The World Cup Final Is Here

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<p>After a month of competition across North America and 103 matches, the 2026 World Cup is down to its final game. Spain and Argentina will meet this afternoon in a match expected to draw over one billion viewers around the world. <br><br> Spain is hoping its well-oiled machine and young star can bring it its second World Cup win. Argentina is looking to Lionel Messi, its longtime star, to secure victory in what could be his last game at the World Cup.</p> <p>On today’s episode, Tariq Panja traces the road to this historic final and explains what to know before kickoff.</p> <p><strong>Tariq Panja</strong>, a global sports correspondent for The New York Times.<br><br><strong>Background Reading</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/podcasts/the-daily/world-cup-iran.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Why Everyone Cares About This World Cup</a></p> <p> </p> <p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p><p> </p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>