The World Cup "Final 4"

After a month of soccer and 100 matches, the World Cup field is down to the exact four teams FIFA, in a way, forecast: Argentina, France, Spain and England. This was the scenario soccer’s global governing body seemed to covet when, for the first time in the tournament’s history, it set up the draw to keep the four highest-ranked teams in different corners of the bracket. Sure enough, the marquee matchups came to fruition: Kylian Mbappé’s France will face Lamine Yamal’s Spain on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, and Lionel Messi’s Argentina will meet Jude Bellingham’s England on Wednesday in Atlanta. It all culminates with the World Cup final Sunday afternoon in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Whom should you root for down the stretch? We’ve broken down the cases for — and against — each of these heavyweight contenders. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/07/14/should-i-root-argentina-france-spain-or-england-world-cup/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter