Spain are world champions again, and they did it the hard way and the easy way at once. Ferran Torres settled a goalless, bad-tempered final in the 106th minute, turning in a low cross from Nico Williams to beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium.
It was Spain’s second World Cup, arriving sixteen years after their first, and it completed an unbeaten run through the tournament in which they conceded just a single goal in seven matches.
The scoreline barely captures the gulf. Argentina failed to register a single shot in ninety minutes, a first in men’s World Cup final history, as Spain strangled the game with relentless possession and pressed Lionel Messi’s team into misplaced passes and mounting frustration. Enzo Fernández was sent off deep into stoppage time, and ugly scenes broke out among players after the final whistle. Emiliano Martínez produced a record ten saves to keep Argentina in the contest, but even he could not deny Spain a fairy-tale send-off for teenager Lamine Yamal, the tournament’s breakout star, and a bittersweet farewell to Messi, who has indicated this was his last World Cup.
Argentina leave without back-to-back titles, a feat no nation has managed since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. Spain, by contrast, now eye a repeat of their own in 2030.
NOTE: SEE PiE DAILY FEATURE FOR WORLD CUP 2026 WRAP