The USA is out. So are Canada and Mexico. But the World Cup still ends here, on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey - the biggest game in the world, played in the United States. Spain vs Argentina. 3pm ET. One game left.

It is the first time these two nations have ever met in a World Cup final. Given what both sides have produced over the past month, it is also the game this tournament deserved.

Spain: The Best Team in the Tournament?

Spain have not just won their semifinal - they have been the most controlled, consistent side at this World Cup from start to finish. On Tuesday at the Dallas Stadium, they beat France 2-0 in a performance that made it look straightforward. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty in the 22nd minute. Pedro Porro drove in a second on 58. France, for all their individual quality and Kylian Mbappe's nine goals in the tournament, barely had an answer.

This is Spain's first World Cup final since 2010, when they beat the Netherlands 1-0 in Johannesburg. That squad had Iniesta, Xavi, Villa. This one has Lamine Yamal - who turned 18 during the group stage and has been the standout individual of the entire tournament - alongside Pedri creating from midfield and Rodri controlling the tempo from deep. Dani Olmo and Oyarzabal give them genuine threat from multiple angles. Spain do not rely on one player to decide games. They rely on a system so well-drilled that opponents struggle to find where to press.

Argentina: Five Escapes, One Final

Argentina's route to the final has been the opposite of Spain's in almost every way. Where Spain have looked composed and in control, Argentina have repeatedly looked like they were heading out - and then found a way through. Cape Verde took them to extra time in the Round of 32. Egypt led them 2-0 in the last 16 before three goals in eleven minutes turned it around. Switzerland went down to ten men in the quarterfinal and still pushed them to extra time. And then on Wednesday in Atlanta, England scored in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon and held that lead into the final stages.

Enzo Fernandez equalized in the 85th minute with a shot from outside the penalty area that gave the goalkeeper no chance. Then, in stoppage time, Lautaro Martinez got on the end of a Lionel Messi cross and headed Argentina into the final. Five knockout games. Five times they have had to find something when it looked like it was slipping away. At some point you stop calling it luck.

The Messi Question

Lionel Messi is 39. He has eight goals in this tournament. He provided the cross for the winner against England. Nobody knows if this is the last World Cup he will play, but there is a reasonable case that it is, and everyone in and around the competition seems to feel the weight of that. His involvement in Argentina's biggest moments at this tournament - the comeback against Egypt, the goal that killed Switzerland, the assist in stoppage time against England - has carried the particular quality of a player for whom the significance of each match is not lost.

Argentina won the World Cup in 2022 with Messi at 35. He is trying to do it again at 39, in a country he has connections to through years of playing in Spain's top flight. On Sunday, the opposition will be the reigning European champions, playing a version of the game he spent most of his career learning.

What to Watch For

The central tactical question is whether Argentina can disrupt Spain's midfield control. Rodri and Pedri dictate the tempo and press in ways that have caused every team at this tournament serious problems. Argentina will likely sit deeper than they would prefer and look to release their forwards - Lautaro, Julian Alvarez, and Messi - on the counter. The problem is that Spain are also dangerous on the break, through Yamal in particular, so the space behind Argentina's defensive line will matter.

If Argentina can make it tight and physical and get it to the final twenty minutes level, they have already shown five times this tournament that they know how to close out those situations. If Spain build a lead early and start moving the ball with the kind of confidence they showed against France, it becomes a different game.

Watch it Together

This World Cup has been played in American stadiums, in American cities, in front of American crowds. The final is in New Jersey. Whoever you are rooting for on Sunday, this is still the biggest game in the world landing in your backyard, and it deserves to be watched properly.

Get the setup right before kickoff. A Q-FOLD goal in the yard gives younger viewers something to do at halftime. A Replay Station keeps the ball moving if attention spans drift. And when that final whistle goes, someone will be recreating the winning moment for the rest of the summer.

Check out the full QUICKPLAY range.