The World Cup ends today, and you can watch the final from Costa Rica without staying up late or paying for a seat in New Jersey.
One game remains. England took third place on Saturday, outlasting France 6-4 in Miami — the highest-scoring third-place match in World Cup history. Now it all comes down to the final. This afternoon, Spain and Argentina meet at MetLife Stadium outside New York City, kicking off at 1 p.m. Costa Rica time (3 p.m. Eastern).
The final is the big one, and it lands in an easy Sunday-afternoon slot for anyone here. Spain reached it by beating France 2-0 in the semifinals. Argentina, the defending champions, came from behind to knock out England 2-1. Spain arrive as reigning European champions; Argentina go in chasing back-to-back world titles with Lionel Messi. The two nations have never met in a World Cup final before, which makes this one worth the afternoon.
You have a free option. Teletica’s Canal 7 carries the final over the air, so with a television and an antenna or basic cable you can watch at no cost. If you want every match, including today’s final, Fox+ has the full tournament and reaches most homes through Tigo, Kölbi TV (channel 515), Telecable (channel 220) and Metrocom (channel 73). Prefer to stream? Teletica’s TDMAX app runs the whole tournament for around â‚¡5,500 (about $12) a month, and Telecable subscribers can use the T-Play app. For radio, tune to Teletica Radio on 91.5 FM.
If you want the crowd, you’ll find it. Sports bars and restaurants across the expat hubs screen the marquee matches, from Escazú and Santa Ana in the Central Valley to beach towns like Jacó, Tamarindo, Nosara and Santa Teresa. The final always draws the biggest rooms, and the British, Spanish and Argentine communities here make both matchups feel personal, so expect noise. Call ahead on Sunday if you want a table. The good spots fill early for a final.
One more reason to tune in Sunday: the tournament closes with the first halftime show in World Cup history, an 11-minute, Super Bowl-style spectacle curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin. Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber co-headline, with Burna Boy, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the PS 22 Chorus featuring Coldplay also on the bill. The show supports a FIFA education fund and lands at halftime, so with a 1 p.m. kickoff, settle in a little early if you don’t want to miss it.
No host nation reached the semifinals this year, so the United States, Mexico and Canada are all watching from the outside too. That leaves the whole hemisphere pointed at one Sunday afternoon — and from here in Costa Rica, you’ve got one of the better seats in the region.
