Spain are FIFA World Cup champions for the fourth time. La Roja beat defending champions Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, July 19, 2026 — with Ferran Torres scoring the only goal of the game in the 106th minute to deny Lionel Messi what would have been his second World Cup title.
The final was as tightly contested as any in recent memory. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez made nine saves throughout the match — a heroic display that kept the Albiceleste level through 90 minutes despite Spain's dominance in possession and territory. Spain had eight shots on target across the full 120 minutes, including a wicked Lamine Yamal free-kick in the 98th minute that Martínez somehow denied at the death of normal time. Argentina's defensive setup frustrated Spain for nearly two hours, continuing a tournament pattern that had seen them outscore opponents 8-3 from the 68th minute onwards in the knockout rounds alone — comeback specialists who had beaten Egypt and England in similar fashion on the way to the final.
The pivotal moment arrived in extra time. With Argentina reduced to 10 men after Enzo Fernández was shown a second yellow card in the 90th+3 for a foul on Pau Cubarsí — becoming only the sixth player ever sent off in a World Cup final — Spain finally found the opening. Ferran Torres, introduced as a substitute in the second half alongside Pedri to fresh up Spain's attack, met the chance and finished to send the Spanish players and bench into celebrations that lasted well into the New Jersey night.
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Manchester United Make Five-Year Contract Offer to Aurélien Tchouaméni — Real Madrid Are Refusing to SellFor Spain, this is a fourth World Cup title — their first since 2010, when they beat the Netherlands in South Africa — and the crowning achievement of a generation of players who also won Euro 2024 two years earlier. The tournament was a coming-of-age platform for 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, the Barcelona winger who was Spain's most dangerous attacker across all seven matches, and for a squad that conceded only one goal across the entire competition. Luis de la Fuente's side had been the tournament's most defensively solid team from the first whistle to the last. For Argentina and Messi, 39, the defeat ends what is widely considered his final World Cup campaign — he finishes second in the Golden Boot race and was a strong candidate for the Golden Ball throughout, but couldn't add a second Jules Rimet to his already unmatched collection of silverware. The halftime show at MetLife Stadium brought together BTS, Justin Bieber, Madonna and Shakira — one of the most star-studded sporting halftime performances in history, attended by Donald Trump, Kylie Jenner, MrBeast and dozens of other global celebrities. Spain are champions of the world. Again.
Full Time: Spain 1-0 Argentina (AET)
Goal: Ferran Torres 106'
Red Card: Enzo Fernández (Argentina) 90'+3
Venue: MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey
Date: Sunday, July 19, 2026
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