Refresh for latest updates. Read from bottom up ...6.01pm - And a little more video:5.39pm - Here is some video building up to the final:🚨 The first-ever FIFA World Cup halftime show will feature performances from:🇨🇴 Shakira🇺🇸 Madonna🇨🇦 Justin Bieber🇻🇪 Gustavo Dudamel🇬🇧 Coldplay🇳🇬 Burna Boy🇰🇷 BTS pic.twitter.com/9EyFC0Wtb1— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) July 18, 2026
5.34pm - Here are the match officials for the final:Referee: Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)First assistant referee: Tomaž Klančnik (Slovenia)Second assistant referee: Andraž Kovačič (Slovenia)Fourth official: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)Reserve assistant referee: Mohammad Al-Kalaf (Jordan)Video match officials: Video assistant referee: Bastian Dankert (Germany)Assistant VAR: Nicolás Gallo (Colombia)Support VAR: Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar)5.29pm - To start: here are some match facts:KICKOFF:3pm in New Jersey, 9pm South Africa timeSTADIUM:New York New Jersey StadiumFrom Wikipedia: “MetLife Stadium, temporarily known as New York New Jersey Stadium for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, is a multi-purpose stadium located at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 8km west of New York City. Opened in 2010, it replaced Giants Stadium and serves as the home for the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). At an approximate cost of $1.6bn, it was the most expensive stadium built in the US at the time of its completion.”STADIUM CAPACITY:82,500CLOSING CEREMONY1pm in New Jersey, 7pm SA timeCLOSING CEREMONY PERFORMERSPost Malone (headliner), Robbie Williams, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, IShowSpeedHALF TIME SHOWIn US Superbowl style, there will be a half time show for the World Cup final for the first time in history. That means half time will be 17 minutes long rather than the standard 15 minutes. Performers: Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, BTSON TV:SABC 3 and SuperSport channel 202, Streamed on SABC+ and DStv Stream 5.15pm - And here we are. From Bafana Bafana’s 2-0 defeat kickoff match against Mexico at the Azteca on June 11, way back 39 days ago now, 103 matches later, 48 teams have been whittled down to two for the 104th and biggest match of them all, the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.The semifinals were one engrossing (Spain muscling out tournament favourites France), one thrilling and fiery (Lionel-Messi inspired Argentina beating heated rivals England by staging a stunning comeback). And that leaves us with this monumentally huge clash at New York New Jersey Stadium (9pm SA time) where coach Luis de la Fuente’s 2010 champions Spain meet the defending champions and three-time winners (1978, 1986 and 2022) in coach Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina.The game, of course, features the fascinating subplot of the contest between 39-year-old Messi, seeking to write his name further into football immorality; and the future of the game, Spain’s 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, inheritor of Messi’s No 10 jersey at Barcelona who has been breaking the Argentine’s records at junior and senior level. I am your LIVE UPDATES BLOGGER, Arena Holdings Digital and TimesLIVE sports editor Marc Strydom. I am not in New Jersey Stadium but in my living room in Melville Johannesburg but will endeavour to bring you the blow-by-blow build-up and action like I was there.The World Cup final, ladies and gentleman! There’s nothing else quite like it! Not even by a hundred miles.Pull up your various beverages, get the popcorn and hotdogs ready in your lounges. TV rooms, living areas, restaurants, bars, taverns and shebeens. Love and sap up every kick, VAR drama, Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino faux pas and every moment. Here we go. One of the world’s greatest sporting spectacles is just a few hours away.Enjoy!World Cup page hereStar player profiles hereBafana news hereTimesLIVE
