Spain win the 2026 World Cup, beating Argentina 1-0

Torres strikes 39 seconds into second extra time to settle the final

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on 19 July 2026, ending a match that 90 minutes and the first period of extra time could not separate.verifiedVerified Source: apnews.com^[1] Ferran Torres scored the only goal in the 106th minute, 39 seconds into the second half of extra time.^[1]

Torres did not let the moment pass quietly. "It was a goal scored by 47 million people," he said, pointing the celebration well beyond the MetLife turf. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente kept the same measured register at the final whistle. "I feel pride, to be honest," de la Fuente said.verifiedVerified Source: apnews.com^[1]

Rodri, named the tournament's best player, captured the collective disbelief of a squad that had just become world champions for the second time. "I think now I'm in a cloud," Rodri said.verifiedVerified Source: apnews.com^[1] The midfielder had been the engine of Spain's campaign, driving a side that pressed hard and gave opponents almost nothing.

Enzo Fernandez red card leaves Argentina chasing with 10 men

Argentina's night unravelled further when Enzo Fernandez was sent off for a second bookable offence in the closing stages of extra time, leaving the defending champions a goal down and a man short at the worst possible moment.^[1] The dismissal ended any realistic prospect of forcing penalties and handed Spain the space to see out the remaining minutes.

Lionel Messi, chasing a second consecutive World Cup winner's medal, was held scoreless throughout the final. Argentina had reached the match via extra-time wins over Cabo Verde, Egypt, Switzerland and England, but Spain's suffocating defence proved a step beyond them.^[1]

Spain's defensive record: one goal conceded across eight matches

Spain conceded only one goal across eight matches en route to the title, setting a record for fewest goals allowed by a World Cup champion.^[1] That single blemish came against opponents who ranked among the world's best, with Belgium, France and England all beaten along the way.^[1]

De la Fuente built a side that paired ball retention with genuine defensive discipline. Spain did not merely keep possession to kill games; they denied opponents the spaces that possession football can sometimes leave open, and across eight matches nobody found a way through twice.

Argentina's road to the final and Messi's bid for back-to-back titles

Argentina arrived at MetLife as defending champions, having lifted the trophy in Qatar in 2022, and their run to the final suggested they retained the capacity to do it again.^[1] Four knockout wins, each requiring extra time, underlined both the team's resilience and the physical toll the tournament had taken before a ball was kicked in the final.

Messi's presence dominated every pre-match conversation. At 38, this was widely considered his last realistic chance to win consecutive World Cup titles, a feat no player in the modern era had managed. Spain's defensive structure gave him nothing to work with, and the dismissal of Fernandez ended any late arithmetic that might have favoured Argentina.

Ceremony, reaction and the occasion at MetLife

President Donald J. Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented runner-up medals to Argentina's Lionel Messi before the trophy was handed to Spain's captain at the post-match ceremony.^[1]

The final had been framed by a Super Bowl-style halftime show featuring Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira, BTS and Burna Boy, a spectacle FIFA constructed to match the commercial scale of the expanded 48-team tournament.^[2]

Spain's victory adds the 2026 World Cup to the Euro 2024 title won when La Roja defeated England 2-1 in the final on 14 July 2024, making them the first men's side to hold the European Championship and World Cup simultaneously.^[3] It is Spain's second World Cup title overall, sixteen years after their first in South Africa in 2010, with UEFA Nations League qualifying now the next item on the calendar from September 2026.^[1]