The 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered a historic final Sunday at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where Spain claimed their second men’s world title with a tense 1-0 extra-time victory over defending champion Argentina, blocking Lionel Messi’s bid for an unprecedented second consecutive World Cup trophy.
The match-winning moment came in the 106th minute of extra time, when substitute forward Ferran Torres tapped home the only goal of the game. The play unfolded after a piercing through-ball split Argentina’s defensive line, winger Nico Williams pulled the ball back across the goalmouth, and Torres finished from close range to put Spain ahead — a lead they would never give up.
This triumph marks Spain’s first World Cup title since their iconic 2010 victory in South Africa, capping a nearly flawless tournament run for the European side. Spain entered the final unbeaten through all previous rounds, having conceded only a single goal across six matches ahead of the title decider. Sticking to their signature possession-based playing style, La Roja controlled the tempo of the final from the opening whistle, pinning Argentina back for most of the 120 minutes.
In contrast, Argentina’s road to the final followed a far more rugged path. Entering the match fueled by the leadership of 39-year-old Messi, widely expected to make his final World Cup appearance, the South American side had battled through a series of narrow, hard-fought knockout matches to reach the title game. Their challenge became exponentially more difficult in the second half of regulation, when star midfielder Enzo Fernández was shown a second yellow card and sent off, leaving Argentina to play more than 50 minutes of football with 10 men.
Regulation time ended goalless after 90 minutes, with Argentina putting in a gritty defensive shift to keep Spain off the scoresheet. Despite being a man down and outpossessed by a wide margin, Argentina held on through the first half of extra time. Spain kept pushing for a winner, however, testing Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez repeatedly with consistent chances. Martínez turned in a man-of-the-match performance for the losing side, making a string of spectacular saves to keep the game scoreless for more than 100 minutes before Torres finally broke through.
Notably, Argentina failed to register a single shot on target across the entire 120 minutes of the final, a testament to Spain’s sustained control and Argentina’s limited attacking opportunities after going down to 10 men. With the final whistle, Spain’s squad erupted in celebration, wrapping up a dominant tournament that cements their status as one of the top men’s national teams in international football, while Messi’s final World Cup campaign ends one win short of history.