World Cup Nights: bronze-final day, France-England tonight. Spain-Argentina, the final, tomorrow

The World Cup's last 48 hours. No match overnight: the tournament draws breath before the grand finale. Tonight at 5pm ET, France and England play for bronze in Miami — Deschamps' final game before Zidane — while FIFA has handed Slovenia's Vincic the final. Sunday at 3pm ET, Spain-Argentina for the trophy.

Empty pitches again overnight: after a month of non-stop football, the World Cup takes its last pause before the two closing acts. The bracket has been set for days. Spain shut out France 2-0 in Dallas (an Oyarzabal penalty won by Lamine Yamal, then Pedro Porro's clincher) and Argentina came from behind to beat England 2-1 in Atlanta through Enzo Fernandez (85') and a Lautaro Martinez stoppage-time winner. Those two nights produced tonight's third-place game and tomorrow's final.

The day's big news came from FIFA, which confirmed the man for the showpiece: Slovenia's Slavko Vincic will referee Spain-Argentina, assisted by compatriots Klancnik and Kovacic, with Jordan's Makhadmeh as fourth official. For Vincic, already in charge of three matches here, it is the appointment of a lifetime. At East Rutherford, reigning world champions Argentina — chasing a back-to-back only Italy and Brazil have ever managed — meet European champions Spain, who are hunting a second world title after 2010. The generational subplot is worth the tournament on its own: Messi at 39, perhaps in his final World Cup act, against Lamine Yamal at 19, back from muscle trouble but still Spain's guiding light.

First, though, the bronze. At Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, France and England close a bitter World Cup with a game nobody, on the record, wanted to play: 'None of my players, none of the French players wanted this match — everyone dreamed of the final,' Tuchel admitted. For Didier Deschamps, though, it is a special and wistful night: after 14 years, a world title (2018) and a final (2022), he steps down as France boss — it will be his 27th World Cup match as a coach, an all-time record — with Zinedine Zidane ready to inherit the throne. There is a Golden Boot at stake too, beyond pride: Mbappe (8 goals) will chase top scorer Messi (8 goals, 4 assists), rested tonight, while Kane and Bellingham sit on 6.

So the weekend's schedule is set. Tonight at 5pm ET, France-England in Miami for third place, with Opta making Les Bleus slight favourites. Tomorrow, Sunday July 19, at 3pm ET the curtain falls: Spain-Argentina at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, with Rodri and Oyarzabal giving Spain their weight and the Albiceleste clinging to Messi's magic.

Two nights and the World Cup bows out. Bronze tonight, the Cup tomorrow: see you in the morning, on the eve of the last act.

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