If Spain makes it to the World Cup final, they’ll have a big edge over England.
Spain has scored a big advantage for the World Cup final after securing their spot in Sunday’s big game. La Roja reached their first World Cup final since winning it all, thanks to goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro in the semi-final against France in Arlington, Texas.
Luis de la Fuente’s team will aim to add to their Euro 2024 success in Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Meanwhile, France will play in the third-place match a day earlier in Miami.
Spain played really well in the semi-final, and they might have an upper hand if they face England again, just like in the Euros final two years ago. This is because recent tournaments show that teams with extra rest tend to do better in finals.
Research by The Athletic found that in 13 of the last 14 World Cup and European Championship finals, the team who rested more won. Examples include Spain playing a day earlier than Italy before the Euro 2012 final, Portugal having three days off compared to France’s four days at Euros 2016, and Argentina benefiting from extra rest in the 2022 World Cup final.
In England’s case, they had less rest than their opponents in both the Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 finals, losing to Italy and Spain respectively. The only exception to this rest rule was the 2017 Women’s World Cup final, where the Netherlands beat Denmark 4-2 — both semi-finals were played on the same day, so no team had extra rest. The last time rest didn’t seem to matter was Spain’s 2010 win, even though they played their semi-final closer to the final.
Having more rest could really help players cope with the heat and tough conditions in North America.
There’s also an exciting change at this World Cup — the first-ever half-time show! Like the Super Bowl, it will feature big performances by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Justin Bieber, Shakira, Burna Boy, Madonna, and BTS. The show, which also includes Sesame Street and The Muppets, will last about 11 minutes.
Because the stage will be set up and taken down on the pitch, The Athletic reports that half-time might stretch to around 20 minutes if all goes well. Normally, a half-time break is 15 minutes, and the International Football Association Board says it can only be changed with the referee’s okay.
This means players might spend a bit more time resting in the locker room — like in the 2024 Copa America final, where the half-time break lasted 26 minutes during Shakira’s performance at Hard Rock Stadium.
All performers in the half-time show, organized by charity Global Citizen, are doing it for free and won’t be paid.