Spain once again etched its name in gold in the history of world football. La Roja defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time to be crowned champions of the 2026 World Cup and claim only their second World Cup title in their history, following the one they won in South Africa in 2010.
The final, played in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was marked by intensity, tension, and Spanish dominance for much of the match. However, the Albiceleste’s resilience—led by the saves of Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez—kept the score tied at 0-0 throughout regulation time and much of extra time.
The decisive moment came in the 106th minute. Nico Williams won the ball on the left wing and headed it across to Ferrán Torres, who finished with a left-footed shot to finally beat the Argentine goalkeeper and spark the Spanish celebration.
Before the goal, Spain had seen a goal disallowed after the referee ruled the play invalid due to a stamp by Mikel Merino on Nicolás Otamendi. Even so, the team coached by Luis de la Fuente kept up the pressure until they found the reward they had been seeking throughout the match.
Argentina played the entire extra time with a player down following Enzo Fernández’s red card in the final minutes of regulation time. The midfielder received his second yellow card for a hard tackle on Pau Cubarsí, leaving the Albiceleste a man down for the remainder of the match.
With this result, Lionel Messi was unable to cap off his World Cup career with another championship and unable to catch up to France’s Kylian Mbappé as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. Argentina were unable to win a second consecutive title, an accomplishment no team has achieved since Pelé’s Brazil, champions in 1958 and 1962.
Spain dominated possession for long stretches, though time and again they were thwarted by Emiliano Martínez, who kept his team in the game until Ferrán Torres broke the deadlock in the second half of extra time.
Spain’s victory also produced one of the tournament’s most symbolic images. A photograph taken in 2007 as part of a UNICEF program showed a young Lionel Messi bathing a baby who, years later, would become Lamine Yamal. Nearly two decades later, that boy lifted the World Cup with Spain and was part of the team that stripped Messi’s Argentina of the world title.
With referee Slavko Vinčić’s final whistle, the 2026 World Cup came to an end. Spain became world champions for the second time in their history and succeeded Argentina as the new holder of football’s most prestigious trophy.
