The World Cup Final Is Here

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
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**Natalie Kitroeff** (0:37)
From The New York Times, I'm Natalie Kitroeff. This is The Daily on Sunday.
The World Cup, which captivated billions of people across the world, brightening our days and giving us a break from all of life's normal stressors is coming to an end.

**Paul Tenorio** (0:55)
What are you going to do to fill your time when the World Cup is over?

**Natalie Kitroeff** (0:59)
I don't know.

**Amy Lawrence** (0:59)
I mean, I'm really going to be sad.

**Natalie Kitroeff** (1:01)
I don't know what to do. It was such a month, a really good month.

**SPEAKER_6** (1:06)
We're going to be really sad when the World Cup ends. We're spending a lot of time planning for the Women's World Cup next year in Brazil, just trying to keep the momentum going.

**SPEAKER_7** (1:14)
I have a wife and it's a full-time job as well, so maybe I will just spend more time with my wife or find a hobby. I don't know, maybe all of a sudden needing, I don't know, something.

**Natalie Kitroeff** (1:28)
After five weeks of competition, which were filled with surprise wins, heartbreak losses and breakout stars, 48 teams are down to two.

**SPEAKER_8** (1:38)
Spain will play the World Cup final.

**Natalie Kitroeff** (1:43)
Spain and Argentina, who will play each other in the final this afternoon. Spanish fans are hoping that their smothering approach and young phenom can win them their second trophy in history. Argentinian fans are praying that the man seen as the greatest player of all time can take them back to glory in what may be his last World Cup. Today, my colleague Tariq Panja on the road to this historic matchup and what to know before the game begins. It's Sunday, July 19th.
Tariq, welcome back to the show. It turns out the World Cup is all you need to be on The Daily, like three times in the span of five weeks or something like that.

**Tariq Panja** (2:33)
Yeah, it feels like a season ticket at this point.

**Natalie Kitroeff** (2:37)
So, it all comes down to this. In a few short hours, we are going to get a showdown for the ages between Spain and Argentina.
And we are going to talk about these two teams, their identities, their stories as a way of preparing people for what they're about to watch. Maybe we'll even tempt people who weren't planning to watch to turn on the game this afternoon. But first, let's just do a recap of what we've seen so far in this tournament, because it's been pretty magical.

**Tariq Panja** (3:07)
Yeah, this tournament has delivered so many storylines, so many narratives, the glories, the highs, the lows, and of course, this is the biggest World Cup we've ever seen, and it has felt that way. It's had an enormity to it that has clearly been a part of the story. Three countries, thousands of miles of travel, and thousands of different stories.

**Natalie Kitroeff** (3:34)
Okay, I want to get into those highs and lows. Let's start with the highs.
You had prepared us to look at these underdogs of this tournament. How did that turn out?

**Tariq Panja** (3:45)
It turned out thrillingly in a way. We saw teams get through the group stages and into the knockouts in ways we didn't imagine. We saw the likes of the Democratic Republic of Congo at the World Cup for the first time in decades and with a new name since they were last there. That's how long it's been. But for me, we saw one of the great stories of all World Cups in the island of Cape Verde getting through the group stage by holding the finalist Spain and then taking on and almost overcoming the other finalist Argentina.
What moments they've produced for their nation, for the rest of us and given us the gift of Vazinho, the 40-year-old goalkeeper, the journeyman soccer player in goal for a team that is expected to be steamrolled. And here's this guy repelling absolutely everything that's coming towards his goal. It's like there were three Vazinhas in the goal. He instantly becomes a folk hero.

**Natalie Kitroeff** (4:51)
Okay. And what about my personal favorite dark horse in all this, Norway?