Spain have been crowned champions of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after beating Argentina 1-0 in an extra-time thriller at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, United States of America (USA).
Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the 106th minute to hand La Roja their second World Cup title and end Argentina’s reign as world champions.
The match was expected to be a classic between two of the world’s best teams, but it turned into a tense and physical contest with few clear-cut chances.
Spain enjoyed most of the possession and looked the more dangerous side throughout the game. Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo and Mikel Oyarzabal all tested Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who produced several outstanding saves to keep his team in the match.
Martinez denied Yamal with a superb save from a late free-kick at the end of normal time before making another important stop from Nico Williams early in extra time.
Argentina’s hopes suffered a major setback in stoppage time when midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a reckless challenge on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi.
With the defending champions reduced to 10 men, Spain finally found the breakthrough in extra time. Substitute Nico Williams headed the ball into the path of Ferran Torres, who reacted quickest to smash home from close range and send the Spanish supporters into celebration.
Argentina pushed for an equaliser but struggled to create meaningful opportunities. Lionel Messi, who could have played his final World Cup match, was well marked throughout the game and failed to register a shot on target.
Spain’s victory completed an impressive campaign under coach Luis de la Fuente. After opening the tournament with a goalless draw against Cape Verde, the European champions improved with every match before defeating France in the semi-finals and overcoming Argentina in the final.
The triumph also saw Spain become the first nation to hold both the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup titles at the same time.
Player Ratings
Spain
Starting XI
•Unai Simon – 7
•Marc Cucurella – 7
•Aymeric Laporte – 7
•Pau Cubarsi – 8
•Pedro Porro – 7
•Fabian Ruiz – 7
•Rodri – 7
•Alex Baena – 7
•Dani Olmo – 7
•Lamine Yamal – 7
•Mikel Oyarzabal – 7
Substitutes
•Pedri – 7
•Ferran Torres – 8
•Nico Williams – 9
•Mikel Merino – 6
•Eric Garcia – 6
•Martin Zubimendi – 6
Argentina
Starting XI
•Emiliano Martinez – 6
•Nicolas Tagliafico – 6
•Lisandro Martinez – 5
•Cristian Romero – 6
•Gonzalo Montiel – 6
•Nico Gonzalez – 5
•Alexis Mac Allister – 5
•Enzo Fernandez – 4
•Rodrigo De Paul – 5
•Julian Alvarez – 5
•Lionel Messi – 6
Substitutes
•Nicolas Otamendi – 5
•Leandro Paredes – 3
•Nahuel Molina – 5
•Facundo Medina – 4
•Giovanni Simeone – 4
•Marcos Senesi – 4
