We’ll close up now. Here’s the match report from today’s game:

And here’s how the crowd greeted Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino:

Rodri is handed the World Cup by Trump and Infantino. Trump hangs around at the side of the Spain squad as they celebrate before Infantino quietly ushers him to the side. Messi applauds is tears, what a champion. On the podium Spain celebrate wildly, as they should.

Lamine Yamal gives a big hug to Felipe VI, who is on the podium. And Lamine Yamal’s little brother gives a huge cheer from the crowd.

Spain come on to receive their well-deserved medals. Infantino and Trump alternate giving out the medals, so each of them can get their big moment.

The Netherlands will be thrilled to hear they are the winners of the Fifa Fair Play Award presented by McDonald’s™.

Argentina get their medals and Messi is in tears as he contemplates what is almost certainly his final World Cup match. He faces the Argentina crowd who sing to him, many of them in tears themselves.

The stage is now being set up on the field, where Spain will receive the trophy from media shy duo Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino.

Here’s a full review of today’s halftime show from the Guardian’s chief critic, Alexis Petridis:

Christopher Smith writes in: “Any chance we can get Animal from the Muppets to hand off the trophy instead of the other muppet Trump?”

Some differing reactions from the two teams at the final whistle…

Carlos Alcaraz is in the stands looking significantly happier than when he won any of his grand slams. And he didn’t look disappointed when he won those ones.

Argentina are not taking this well: Molina punched a Spanish sub as he ran on to the field to celebrate. Because how dare someone celebrate winning the World Cup?

And Spain are World Cup champions once again! Our report is below:

Spain have taken a huge step towards victory with a goal from Ferran Torres. Rob Smyth has the latest:

It’s half-time in extra-time. No show this time sadly (happily). Rob Smyth has the latest news on the actual football:

As things stand, Cape Verde have scored more goals against Argentina than Spain and England combined.

The hafltime show lasted just over 27 minutes. So we’ll have seen Animal drumming for almost as long as we’ll watch extra time. I know that’s incredibly strained but I’m killing time until Trump grabs the trophy at the presentation ceremony and runs away laughing.

We’re going to extra time: you can follow the final 30 minutes (or so) of this World Cup with Rob Smyth:

Trump is shown looking quite animated in the executive box. By this point in the NBA finals, he had nodded off to sleep.

The news is in: the World Cup final is a sell-out. The New York Jets have sold out this stadium, so I’m not sure that counts as an achievement.

Phil Udell writes in: “I’m a big fan of Coldplay’s efforts to be an ethically sound modern stadium band but how does that sit with allying themselves with such a questionable organisation as Fifa, to say nothing of their pal in the White House?”

I imagine they’ll point out that the halftime show was to promote Fifa’s charity efforts. But … good point.

Nathan North: “If the score is still 0-0 at the end of extra time, instead of the lottery of penalties, I think the only fair thing to do would be to give the World Cup to the winner of the third place match.”

Trump wasn’t shown on the video screen at the stadium during the halftime show – Fifa is smart enough not to offer a distraction. We did see Carlos Alcaraz, Serena Williams and Zidane though – none of whom were booed. How could you boo Carlos anyway?

Facundo Iglesia is in Buenos Aires for us. Here’s how things are going there:

A small screen hanging outside a travel agency in downtown Buenos Aires draws a crowd of hundreds. If the sound is even on, it’s drowned out by the monotone drone of vuvuzelas, the crackle of firecrackers, and the fans chanting: “El que no salta es español” (“Anyone who doesn’t jump is a Spaniard”) and the better-known but less appropriate version, “El que no salta es un inglés” (“Anyone who doesn’t jump is an Englishman”). Thousands across the capital are watching the final this way - people in Albiceleste jerseys wandering the area around the Obelisco, catching glimpses of TVs inside or outside businesses, jumping and shouting as if they were at East Rutherford Stadium in New Jersey.

But those scattered pockets of fans carry a well-known risk: spoilers. Broadcast delays across TV channels and radio stations are a running annoyance in Argentina, and a group of supporters reacting to a play will sometimes tip off another group nearby - before the play has even happened for them. A respectful round of applause, for instance - later revealed to be for Lisandro “Licha” Martínez leaving the pitch - rippled down the block a full beat before the screen outside an empanada shop caught up. “It’s annoying - that’s why I’m watching the screen with commentary on my phone,” says Carla Lucía del Pardo, a 31-year-old pastry chef. “That way, I gain five seconds.” For Del Pardo, Argentina is playing “well, but too calm.” “They’re defending the goal, but not really going on the attack,” she added.

I’m not sure how much the players would have enjoyed trying to keep themselves warmed up during that extended break. Maybe Messi, 56, had a nice nap.

Maybe there was a unifying theme to that halftime show – probably something to do with football uniting the world – but Bad Bunny it was not.

And so, we go back to the football. Were the professional singers who performed professional? Yes! Were the cute kids who performed cute? Yes! Did anyone ask for this? No! Did this add to the World Cup final? Not really! Will it convert neutral American fans to soccer? No! Would an exciting game without a big interruption in the middle do a better job of that? Yes! What I’m saying is that they should just have shown highlights of England 6-4 France from yesterday instead.

Animal was good though.

A kids choir from Staten Island – who says nothing good comes out of Staten Island – are joined by Kermit and Miss Piggy next. Shakira has such affection for Staten Island that she comes along to join them. And Chris Martin, who is curating this show. This is very wholesome and nice and professionally done. Does the World Cup final need it … probably not?

Shakira and Burna Boy are next up. They bring on some cute kids to dance, which – understandably – goes down well with the crowd.

Bieber shows his improv skills by adding “World Cup” to the lyrics of his song. They don’t pay him the big bucks for nothing (he’s playing for free, for charity)

I am running the TV broadcast of this halftime show alongside watching it live at the stadium and, unsurprisingly, this stuff absolutely does not translate live. It took til halfway through Seven Nation Army for me to realize Animal was playing the drums.

Here comes Ted Lasso and Coach Beard to introduce …Justin Bieber. Bieber is 32 now, so is unlikely to win a professional football contract. Good voice though!

BTS are their usual professional, excellent selves as they belt out Dynamite. They may have played one or two stadium gigs in their time. They get more air time than Madonna, but fewer Brazilian World Cup winners.

Animal is on the drums as they play Seven Nation Army. OK, this is now an excellent halftime show. Forget any previous criticism I had of it. In fact, just stop it here. After a quick Viking Row, BTS are on – with no Animal.

And we’re on Madonna is on a car driven by Ronaldo (the Brazilian one) and … Ronaldinho. I hope they have travel insurance because that car doesn’t look that roadworthy. They’re driving on to the field now. Ronaldo looks very happy to be there.

They’ve rolled out a big tarp at the New York New Jersey Stadium as they prepare the field for the performance. It’s been a great day for tarps at today’s final.

Just a reminder that the halftime show will last 25 to 30 minutes. Around 11 minutes for the actual show and the rest of the time to set up the stage and then take it all down. There are worries that the added down time for players could lead to injuries as muscles cool down due to inactivity. On the upside, they’ll get to hear Justin Bieber sing for about 90 seconds.

The list of artists includes:

Shakira; Burna Boy; BTS; Madonna; Kermit and Miss Piggy; conductor Gustavo Dudamel with musicians from the New York Philharmonic and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela; dance troupe Ghetto Kids; Emmanuel Kelly; PS 22 Chorus (cute kids from a local school).

The half-time show approaches, which means uber-warmup man Michael “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” Buffer is back, and he is yelling very loud. Talk about someone who should be booed

Madrid’s Plaza de Colón, famous for its massive Spanish flag, is absolutely rammed as the match begins. Police are turning people away from the barriers that have been installed around the square, but the mood inside it somewhere between expectant and buoyant.

No one wants to hex the game but hopes are high.

“It’s a historic moment and it’s really exciting,” said Katy, 18, who was two years old the last time Spain won the World Cup. “I’m obviously hoping that Spain win and I think it’ll be 3-2 to Spain.”

Miguel Hinojal Vicente, 37, had come to Madrid from Toledo as much for the party atmosphere as for the match itself.

Unlike Katy, he had vivid memories of Spain’s last World Cup triumph. “Shit, it was just a magical thing,” he said. “But, to tell the truth, I’m more of a Atleti fan than a Spain fan.”

His friend Raquel Garcia was a little more enthusiastic - and optimistic.

She predicted a 3-0 win for Spain, with two goals in the first half and one in the second.

But it was about more than just football for her. “This is about the hopes of a country and it’s about unity,” she said. “Events like these bring people together and they make people happy.”

Rusty Shpork gets in touch: “Are any of the online prediction markets taking bets on the exact minute Trump nods off? I’m going with the 27th minute, after he’s exhausted himself rage-bleating on Truth Social during the first commercial break about the large number of “probably illegal” Latinos in the stadium. If Spain win, Trump will probably try to present the trophy to Messi, anyway. Brand recognition, yada yada.”

The TV cameras show Will Ferrell in the stands before cutting to Pharell Williams. I don’t know if that was deliberate but the Fereell/Pharell cut was sonically pleasing.

A little more on Trump’s appearance at the final today. He wasn’t booed by the crowd, but perhaps Fifa knows if they don’t show him, he can’t be booed:

And the match kicks off only six minutes late. We’ll be updating periodically here but the actual match action will here on our match liveblog. We’ll be back for the halftime show:

The Spanish national anthem is being played by a Spanish brass band. A lovely, slow number that perhaps doesn’t lead to the high intensity rendition you want in a huge moment. I bet the Argentina one will be a bit more peppy … it is! Argentinian singer Maria Becerra leads the fans in the stands to a rousing rendition. All the Spanish fans got was some dudes with some tubas and trumpets. Way more Argentinian fans than Spaniards in the crowd, by the way. Kick off is already two minutes late, by the way…

The Spanish and Argentinian fans absolutely do not care about any of this. About halfway through, they have started singing their own songs and drowning out whatever it is that Tom Cruise is going on about.

Tom Cruise is out to do some acting! He is playing a man in a tight black t-shirt telling us a story about the World Cup being good. This is great acting because he is convincing as a man in a tight black t-shirt telling us a story about the World Cup being good. He even shows his versatility by saying the teams are España and Argentina. He does not jump off a high place or do anything with wires or creep us out by jumping on a sofa though. Can’t have everything.

Here’s Carlos Alcaraz! With the World Cup trophy and World Cup winners Andres Iniesta and Marrio Kempes. The stadium announcer makes sure to tell us that it’s presented by some luxury brand or other.

Trump is shown on the TV and appears to be booed, although that could just have been people booing Robbie Williams, who is now singing along with Nicole Scherzinger and Laura Pausini. Trump wasn’t shown on the jumbotron at the stadium, so I’m assuming maybe people just don’t like Robbie – and the poor guy hasn’t even started any wars (yet?).

And here’s the Star-Spangled Banner. World class singer Jennifer Hudson somewhat unsurprisingly sings it very well. Is the band out of sync? Maybe, but these anthem performances are often so extravagant, I’m never sure if they’re supposed to be like that. Anyway, headline: Jennifer Hudson can sing.

And now the second-half of the closing ceremony (yes, there are two halfs of this) starts. Jennifer Hudson will sing the Star-Spangled Banner. Actually, it’s been delayed – I suspect this match may not be kicking off on time…

ITV reports that there has been a glitch with the ticketing system, meaning there have been delays for some of the fans who have paid eye-watering sums to get to this match today. There are still a few empty seats in the stands…

Donald Trump has managed to sneak into the stadium without any fans noticing:

Bob O’Hara writes in: “Just catching up, and that building Alexander Abnos couldn’t recognise? Could it be Trump Tower?”

That would make sense given Gianni’s preferences …

Professional Spain fan and sometime actor Javier Bardem is here today.

The English-language coverage of this summer’s World Cup was on Fox, which went from terrible in 2022 to merely not terrible this time around. You can read more with Aaron Timms’s excellent rundown:

If you think the various controversies that have engulfed Fifa president Gianni Infantino during this World Cup – from his Peace Prize for Donald Trump to the suspension of Folarin Balogun’s red card to the high price of tickets – will have any negative effect on his reign, then think again. The fact is that he is very good at making money for Fifa, and that’s enough for most of the organization’s representatives. Here’s a little more on the subject in our video explainer:

An organization called The Final Red Card is arranging a protest around today’s final. According to the organization:

“During today’s Fifa World Cup Final, thousands of fans are expected to raise commemorative referee-style red cards in a coordinated, peaceful visual action during the tournament’s trophy presentation, transforming soccer’s most universally recognized symbol into a global call for democracy, accountability, and a repudiation of Trump’s corruption.

“The action, titled The Final Red Card, is being organized by a coalition of artists, organizers, and advocacy organizations led by SoundsGood, the campaign activation studio behind the nationally covered Flags in the Stands: ICE OUT activation during Super Bowl LX, together with Contra-ICE, Make the Road New Jersey, 50501, People vs. The Machine, South Asians for America, Way to Win, Movement Voter Project, and additional national and local partners.”

Marine One has just flown over the stadium with two escort helicopters

An email from Justin Kavanagh: “Four years ago, Fifa allowed the hosts to politicize the award of the World Cup by having Messi receive the trophy in a traditional black and gold Arab cloak – a bisht. I can easily imagine today’s ungracious host insisting on the trophy being lifted by the winning captain wearing a red MAGA hat. I hope I’m wrong. But if not, I’d love to see that captain – either Messi or Rodri, take their medals then lead his team over to his supporters and ask them to present him one of their life-size replicas to parade around with, while Infantino and Trump are left to stew on the stage. Symbolism matters, especially at such a globally televised event. That we could be even contemplating such a scenario in the hours before a World Cup Final tells you all you’ll ever need to know about the shoddy, self-dealing stewardship of “the people’s game” under Gianni Infantino.”

The chances of Messi making a political statement? Not great:

Rodri, on the other hand …

Wondering why New Jersey is hosting the World Cup final rather than more glamorous locations? Look no further than our explainer:

The White House press pool has arrived at the stadium, which caused the temporary closure of every ramp and staircase on the north side of the stadium. The president is presumably quite close by.

Will Trump be booed today?

Arguments for yes: Iran, ICE, Canada, Greenland, Israel, Palestine, trans policy, immigration policy, economic policy, voting rights, race policy, environmental policy. crypto policy, possibly cheating at golf, football fans like booing people.

Arguments for no: people have paid a lot for their tickets and may not want to kick up a fuss.

Has he been booed at sports events before? Well …

Streamer IShowSpeed, probably more famous than 98% of the players at this World Cup, is performing too. It’s probably not even watching the match now that he’s been on.

Post Malone has rocked up to perform at the closing ceremony, which is now taking place. Swae Lee joins him for toe tapper Sunflower.

Facundo Iglesia is on the ground for us in Buenos Aires to take in the atmosphere among Argentina fans:

Argentines can’t be accused of tempering their trademark intensity – or their superstitions – in the hours leading up to the World Cup final. On the eve of the match, thousands of people - mostly parents with their children – flocked to Buenos Aires’ Parque Rivadavia to trade or buy Panini stickers, racing to fill their albums just in time. Many tucked stickers of the Spanish players into freezers, an accessible, popularized bit of witchcraft meant to curse the opposing squad.

Now, on the day of the final, under a persistent drizzle, hundreds are waving flags and blowing vuvuzelas at the Obelisco - the city’s designated meeting point to celebrate the national team, whatever the result may be. The streets leading to the monument are packed with fans and street vendors hawking flags, face paint, and plastic ponchos.

María de las Nieves López, a Paraguayan pizzeria owner who traveled from Ezeiza, a city 35 kilometers outside the capital, wasn’t fazed by the rain or the lack of a screen near the monument.

“It’s Lio [Messi]’s last one. We wanted to come and cheer him and the rest of the squad on - to support them from here. We’ll watch the game on our phones if we have to,” she said.

López, who has lived in the country for 25 years, carried a 20-year-old doll she credits with bringing “good luck,” because it “had watched all the games.”

“Well, we’ve been winning so far,” she said. “I promised her that, if Argentina wins the final, I’ll buy her a new dress.”

The closing ceremony is off to a good start. Or rather not start at all. It was supposed to get underway 90 mins before kickoff but is yet to do so. There are often delays when Donald Trump attends sporting events as the arena is secured. It’s unclear as yet whether kickoff will be delayed. I’m sure they can scrap some bits of this closing ceremony to hurry things along. No one will mind if Robbie Williams is bumped, surely?

Alexander Abnos is at the stadium for us, and has some team news (sort of):

Spain have just entered the stadium and are wandering around in the center of the field. A team of Fifa volunteers are gathered holding what looks to be a very large tarp, which presumably will be a key part of the closing ceremony. I think Spain team may have to move....

And here comes the tarp! It’s an artistic and frankly kinda tacky composite of a number of New York City landmarks. Clockwise from bottom left on your TV screens: The new Calatrava train hub at World Trade Center, 1 World Trade, The Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building, The Vessel, some building I don’t recognize, the Guggenheim, the Chrysler Building, the Statue of Liberty, 30 Rock, the Washington Square arch, the Flatiron building.

Good news from Fifa! There will be a “fan-centric pre-match ceremony” today, which means “an immersive, 360-degree concept that transforms the stadium into a shared stage. No matter where supporters are seated, each will have a distinct and engaging perspective, with extra-large country flag banners and on-pitch elements carefully positioned to involve the crowd in an authentic and meaningful way.”

I bet there’s a hologram. There is always a hologram. It gets better though. At long last, Fifa is going to pay attention to its poor, neglected sponsors: “the youth programme and players’ tunnel will feature both traditional and new integrations of FIFA’s Commercial Partners, thanks to the involvement of adidas, Coca-Cola, Kia, Mengniu, Qatar Airways and Quaker.” At first, I read that as “quakers” and I was expecting a silent prayer meeting, which would have been quite nice.

The pre-match ceremony will also include “additional elements such as coloured smoke or pyrotechnics.” Coloured smoke OR pyrotechnics? $5,000 a ticket and you don’t even get both? This better be a good game.

Kevin Hart is required by federal law to attend any event in the US that draws a crowd of more than 598 people. Therefore, Kevin Hart is at today’s final.

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan says the World Cup has generated around $20bn of economic activity in the US, roughly the equivalent of the price of three tickets to today’s final. It should be noted that the figures sporting events generate are often dubious at best: