​The 2026 World Cup final is set with Spain and Argentina facing off at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, July 19.But there’s also a third-place game, pitting the two semifinal losers – France and England – against each other in a match that nobody wants to be playing, much less in Miami on July 18.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSo since there are technically four teams still remaining in the World Cup, here’s how we’re ranking them all heading into “championship weekend”:La Roja has only surrendered one goal in seven matches at this World Cup and while the team’s attack hasn’t been as free-flowing as some hoped or expected, the team looks genuinely invincible. Messi is the perfect man to put that to the test.Buy World Cup final tickets!This World Cup final is probably a coin-flip but we’re ranking Argentina second because simply, they have actually trailed in this tournament. Messi and Co. won four consecutive knockout games in high-octane fashion but the disciplined European champions aren’t going to wilt late.1 / 16Argentina mounted a stunning win with two late goals, including one in stoppage time, to defeat England and reach their second straight World Cup final.(Buda Mendes, Getty Images)The third-place game should not exist. Since it does, this writer advocates for each team putting forth as little effort as possible and doing everything to make sure that nobody gets hurt. It is an utterly pointless match between 52 players who – understandably – really just want to go home and take a nap.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis game taking place outdoors in South Florida in the middle of July is simply cruel to everybody involved.Falling short of a third consecutive trip to the World Cup final, Kylian Mbappe was held scoreless in the 2-0 semifinal loss to Spain. Defender William Saliba finally succumbed to a back injury that he probably shouldn’t have been playing through for a month in the extreme temperatures.Again, nobody wants to be here, but it’s a good opportunity for some of France’s younger players like 20-year-old Warren Zaïre-Emery and 22-year-old Rayan Cherki to show off and stake their claims. Also, N’Golo Kanté should get a proper send-off after not playing at all in the World Cup.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBuy France vs England ticketsThomas Tuchel is getting a lot of heat for his team dropping off after going ahead 1-0 in the second half, ultimately maintaining just 12% possession after Anthony Gordon’s goal in the 55th minute. England switched to a back five in the 72nd, replacing Gordon with Ezri Konsa. That invited more pressure from the Argentines, who still couldn’t find a way through until Enzo Fernandez’s long-range stunner. Lautaro Martinez scored the winner in stoppage time.How England comes at the third-place game is going to be interesting. Kobbie Mainoo didn’t play a single minute and we’ll surely(?) see him and maybe World Cup fans will get a full 90-minute Dan Burn experience.This arti