Spain Beats Argentina 1-0 in Extra Time to Win 2026 World Cup

Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time on July 19 to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, its second title after 2010. Substitute Ferran Torres scored the only goal in the 106th minute at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Argentina played the final 30-plus minutes with 10 men after Enzo Fernández was sent off in second-half stoppage time. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez made 11 saves, a World Cup final record.

2026 FIFA World Cup Final Summary

• Competition: 2026 FIFA World Cup Final
• Winner: Spain
• Final Score: Spain 1–0 Argentina (AET)
• Goalscorer: Ferran Torres (106’)
• Venue: MetLife Stadium
• Attendance: 80,663
• Referee: Slavko Vinčić
• Player of the Match: Rodri

Spain is the 2026 FIFA World Cup champion, beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time on Sunday to claim its second World Cup title. Ferran Torres, on for the second half, struck 39 seconds into the second period of extra time to settle a final that had stayed scoreless through 90 minutes and the first extra period.

The win, Spain’s first World Cup crown since 2010, also closed out what may have been Lionel Messi’s final World Cup match. Messi, 39, has said this tournament would be his last.

What happened

For global fans checking the fifa world cup final result and looking up who won the world cup 2026, the historic argentina vs spain final at the New York New Jersey Stadium delivered an epic clash. While millions tracked the spain vs argentina live score online, the tie was broken in the second half of extra time.

Neither side managed a shot on target through regulation time. Spain dominated possession and territory — finishing with 20 shots to Argentina’s two — but goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez repeatedly denied Luis de la Fuente’s side, ending the match with 11 saves, the most by any goalkeeper in a men’s World Cup final.

Argentina’s night worsened in second-half stoppage time when midfielder Enzo Fernández was shown a second yellow card for a late challenge on Spain defender Pau Cubarsí, leaving Argentina to play the rest of the match a man down. Video review confirmed the on-field call.

With Argentina reduced to 10 men, Spain broke through early in the second half of extra time. Torres pounced on a loose ball inside the box and finished left-footed under the crossbar in the 106th minute for the game’s only goal. A later Nico Williams effort was ruled out for a foul in the build-up, and Spain saw out the remaining minutes to close the tournament unbeaten, having conceded only once across the entire competition.

Why it happened

A deep dive into the spain national football team vs argentina national football team stats shows Spain’s overwhelming dominance, controlling the tempo and firing 20 shots. The turning point in the world cup final 2026 match arrived when Enzo Fernández was shown a second yellow card in stoppage time, leaving the argentina national football team thin in central midfield just as the match extended into extra time.

Spain’s control of possession and territory throughout the tournament — and again in the final — repeatedly stretched an Argentina defense that had otherwise held firm through 90 minutes. The dismissal of Fernández removed a central midfield body just as the match entered extra time, giving Spain the extra space it needed to eventually break Argentina’s low block.

What it means

With this victory, Spain is officially crowned the fifa world cup 2026 champion. This marks the second time the spain national football team has won the tournament, following their historic 2010 triumph. For Lionel Messi, this likely brings down the curtain on his international world cup career, while young sensations like Lamine Yamal celebrate a golden double alongside their Euro 2024 triumph.

The result denies Argentina back-to-back titles after its 2022 win in Qatar, and concludes a run that Spain says now stands at 38 matches unbeaten.

Coach Luis de la Fuente, 65, became the oldest coach to win a men’s World Cup. “We are world champions,” de la Fuente said after the match. “It was together we reached this stage.” Of Messi, he added: “He will make it into history. He has already made history, and he deserves it.”

Torres, who came on as a substitute, downplayed his individual role in the winning goal. “I think in the end the goal belongs to 47 million people, not to me,” he said, referring to Spain’s population. “All finals are difficult, but when you have Messi on the opposing team, that nervousness always sets in, but we depended on ourselves and we proved it once again.”

By the numbers

Expected goals figures as reported by ESPN’s match coverage.

What’s next

Messi has not confirmed his international future beyond this tournament; he has previously suggested prior tournaments would be his last before returning. Spain’s next major assignment is defending its title in four years, with de la Fuente’s side now looking to become the first team since Brazil’s 1958–62 sides to win consecutive World Cups. Argentina, under Lionel Scaloni, turns to its next major tournament without Fernández facing suspension implications, pending any further disciplinary review.

FIFA also confirmed its individual awards after the final. Spain took three of the four major honors: captain Rodri won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, goalkeeper Unai Simón won the Golden Glove after conceding just once in eight matches, and 19-year-old Pau Cubarsí was named Best Young Player. The Golden Boot went to France’s Kylian Mbappé, who scored 10 goals across the tournament, one more than Messi’s tally of eight.