Argentina and Spain brace for world cup glory—or heartbreak

NPR | By Miguel Macias,

Natalie Alcoba

Published July 17, 2026 at 3:44 PM CDT

From Buenos Aires to Barcelona, fans are dreaming, waiting and wondering: who will lift the World Cup on Sunday?

Tags

Miguel Macias

Miguel Macias is a Senior Producer at All Things Considered, where he is proud to work with a top-notch team to shape the content of the daily show.

Natalie Alcoba

Headers at the World Cup

Zephyr Weinreich, Jeffrey Pierre, Justine Kenin, Gabriel J. Sánchez

We look at a new soccer study that says "header" goals are becoming less frequent -- but more accurate -- in FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Japan revises law on royals, keeps blocking women from throne

Anthony Kuhn

Japan has revised its laws to prevent the world's oldest hereditary monarchy from running out of heirs. But they have left in place a ban on female emperors, an idea which most Japanese support.
As competitive Senate map emerges, both Democrats and Republicans see a path to win

Maham Javaid

More than halfway through the primary elections, the map of competitive Senate races is becoming clearer, though there are still outstanding races to watch.
Following your aquarium fish back to its home in the Amazon

Jeff Guo

We trace the origins of the popular aquarium fish the cardinal tetra back to the Amazon to see how even the most remote corners of the world are transformed by the global economy.
Link between raging wildfires and climate change is greater than ever

Ava Berger

Human-caused climate change is driving many of the wildfires burning across Canada. What's harder to say is how much worse the planet is because of warming global temperatures.