Spain were crowned champions of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Lionel Messi’s Argentina 1-0 following extra time in a thrilling final at MetLife Stadium.
Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal to hand La Roja their second World Cup title and deny Argentina a successful defence of the trophy.
The triumph marked Spain’s first World Cup success since 2010 and extended their remarkable unbeaten run to 38 international matches, setting a new record for a European men’s national team.
Spain dominated possession from the outset and looked the more threatening side during the opening exchanges. Lamine Yamal came close to opening the scoring after cutting in from the right, but his deflected effort was well saved by Emiliano MartÃnez.
Although Spain controlled much of the first half, clear chances were limited. Dani Olmo was left frustrated after Alexis Mac Allister escaped a booking for a strong tackle, while MartÃnez comfortably dealt with a long-range strike from Mikel Oyarzabal before Marc Cucurella narrowly missed the target before halftime.
The opening 45 minutes produced just three shots in total, making it the least eventful first half ever recorded in a FIFA World Cup final.
Spain resumed the second half with greater urgency and repeatedly tested MartÃnez. The Argentine goalkeeper almost gifted Spain the lead after fumbling a shot from Olmo but recovered quickly before producing further excellent saves to deny Ferran Torres and Pau CubarsÃ.
Argentina struggled to impose themselves going forward, with Messi and his teammates finding few openings against Spain’s organised backline.
The match swung dramatically in stoppage time when Enzo Fernández, already booked for dissent, received a second yellow card after a late challenge on CubarsÃ, reducing Argentina to 10 men. Shortly afterwards, MartÃnez made another vital save to keep out Yamal, sending the contest into extra time.
Argentina also set an unwanted record by becoming the first team not to register a single shot during normal time in a World Cup final.
Spain believed they had finally broken the deadlock early in extra time through Nico Williams, but the goal was disallowed after Mikel Merino was penalised for fouling Nicolás Otamendi in the build-up.
The breakthrough eventually arrived in the 106th minute. Williams headed the ball into the path of Ferran Torres, who reacted quickest inside the area and blasted his finish past MartÃnez to spark Spanish celebrations.
Torres’ strike proved decisive as Spain secured a famous victory and lifted the World Cup for the second time in their history.
For Argentina, the defeat ended their hopes of becoming the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to retain the World Cup and may have marked Lionel Messi’s final appearance on football’s biggest stage.
Spain’s victory capped an outstanding tournament for their talented young squad, who added another historic achievement to the nation’s football legacy by reclaiming the world title after 16 years.