World Cup final will be an afternoon match at MetLife Stadium, offering prime-time viewing in Europe

WASHINGTON — The World Cup final will kick off at 3 p.m. ET next July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey

WASHINGTON — The World Cup final will kick off at 3 p.m. ET next July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

FIFA announced the start times for the tournament’s 104 matches on Saturday, a day after the draw for the expanded 48-nation tournament to be played in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The kickoff time allows for prime-time viewing in Europe, where it will be 9 p.m., and Britain, where it will be 8 p.m.

MetLife is open air. The average 3 p.m. temperature over the past 30 years in East Rutherford on July 19 is 83 degrees with a RealFeel index of 89, according to AccuWeather.

Nine of the 10 World Cup finals from 1978 through 2014 started in the 2-3:30 p.m. ET range, the exception 2002 in Japan, which began at 7 a.m. ET. The 2018 final started at 11 a.m. ET and the 2022 championship of a tournament shifted to winter in Qatar at 10 a.m. ET.

The 1994 final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, kicked off at 12:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. ET).