2030 World Cup Final

The **2030 World Cup Final** was a football match that took place on July 14, 2030, at National Stadium in London, UK. The match was the final match of the 2030 World Cup, and was played between England and Brazil.

England defeated Brazil 4-3 in extra time to lift the World Cup trophy for the first time in 60 years. The moment was made all the more sweeter by the fact that it was in front of their home fans. Brazil opened the scoring with two goals from Sebastião, football's new up-and-coming superstar. In the second half, England did what they do best, make a comeback. Kyle Hughes was the man to rally the team, scoring the first goal of the second half just 5 minutes in. Elijah Kingsley followed up with an incredible solo run late in the match to equalize. The match went to extra time where on a penalty, Sebastião completed his hat-trick to put Brazil up 3-2. Jamie Cooper then scored the second equalizer, getting his first of the game off a spectacular solo effort from outside the box. Cooper would score again, this time the winner as he banked in an impossible free-kick from far out to seal England's victory in the final minute of extra time.

All over England, celebrations ran rampant through the streets of big cities and small towns alike. The match would be remembered as one of the greatest football matches of all-time, as well as one of the greatest World Cup Finals ever.

## Background

### Race for the Golden Boot

Jamie - 3 + 0 + 1 + 0 + 0 + 3 = 7

Sebastião - 2 + 1 + 0 + 3 + 1 + 2 = 9

## Route to the Final

### England

As the hosts of the tournament, England automatically qualified and were drawn into Group A. In the opening match of the tournament, England defeated Cameroon 3-0 after a hat-trick from Jamie Cooper. Their second match was tougher, as they were up against a young Canada squad who desperately needed a win after an opening match loss to France. Elijah Kingsley scored in the 87th minute, which should have been the dagger if not for a late equalizer and winner from Luc Rienne. The rapid collapse led to a 2-1 loss, and set up a high-stakes match against their biggest rivals, France, on the final matchday. England needed a win to advance, since France was at the top of the group with two wins, and Canada had the tiebreaker because of the head-to-head result in the last match. Kyle Hughes scored his first of the tournament to put England up 1-0. France made a comeback, going up 2-1 after two quick goals at the start of the second half. England would eventually score two quick goals of their own to advance to the knockout stage, eliminating France. Jamie Cooper and Liam Helmsley scored the goals that would give England 2nd place in the group.

In the Round of 16, England faced off against Group F winners Mexico. They easily handled that one 2-0, with goals from Kai Davis and Elijah Kingsley. The Quarter-Final matchup was a tough one for England, as they faced a strong Netherlands team. The match ended 0-0 after full-time and extra-time, both sides unable to break through. The penalty shootout was hotly contested, as it came down to the final round. Tied 4-4, Dutch defender Marc van Hjelderven's attempt was stopped by goalkeeper Alex Wilkes. Kai Davis then knocked through the winning penalty to set up a rivalry matchup against Australia in the Final Four. Austin Allen led the underdog Aussies out against the Three Lions. Jamie Cooper quickly got England on the board just 4 minutes in. An equalizer was quickly found by Austin Allen 3 minutes later, in the 7th minute. The two teams went back and forth, featuring goals by Australia's Teddy Barker and England's Kyle Hughes. England took the lead off of a Jamie Cooper penalty kick, and the Wonderkid later scored a brace in the 83rd minute to complete his hat-trick. England won 4-2, advancing to the final for the first time since 2002, during Alan McCallum's time with the Three Lions.

England's Road to the Final
 1
 2
 3
 R16
 QF
 SF

### Brazil

Brazil came into the World Cup as the #1 ranked nation in the world, and were drawn into Group D. They opened their tournament with a statement win, defeating Saudi Arabia 6-0. Young sensation Sebastião scored 2 goals in the outing. Brazil then easily handled Wales in their next match, winning 4-0. Sebastião scored another goal, adding to his run for the Golden Boot. Brazil topped the group after a slightly tougher 3-1 win against Netherlands. Sebastião did not score in this match, and picked up a yellow card for bad-mouthing the referee.

Brazil matched up against Japan in the Round of 16. They quickly went down 0-1, but recovered to win 5-1. Sebastião scored his first hat-trick of the tournament, increasing his total to 6 goals. Brazil would take on Portugal in the next round, who they easily handled 3-0. The same was said for Canada, who were their semi-finals opponents. The Brazilians dominated 4-0. Sebastião picked up 3 more goals in these two games, further increasing his total to 9 goals. Brazil were now in the finals, and looked virtually unstoppable.

## Match

### Summary

Scoring Summary
* Kingsley - 90+4'
* Cooper - 113'
* Cooper - 120+1'
* Sebastião - 27'
* Sebastião - 101' (P)