Spain are the 2026 FIFA World Cup champions after edging Argentina 1-0 in 102 minutes within which Sunday’s final was played at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
La Furia Roja claimed their second World Cup title, echoing their 2010 triumph which was also settled 1-0 in extra time.
The match remained goalless through 90 minutes and deep into extra time, with Spain dominating possession and territory throughout but unable to find a breakthrough against a resolute Argentina side marshalled by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who produced a men’s World Cup final record of 10 saves.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 106th minute, with Nico Williams setting up Ferran Torres for a first-time finish that sent the Spanish bench into wild celebration.
Argentina, chasing back-to-back titles and playing with 10 men for the closing stages, pushed hard for an equaliser in the dying minutes but could not find a way past Spain’s watertight defence — their seventh clean sheet of the tournament.
Lionel Messi and his teammates created late half-chances, including a Giuliano Simeone volley that flew over the bar, but Spain held firm to complete an unbeaten run through the competition.
The result denies Argentina a successive World Cup crown and may mark the end of Messi’s international career on a losing note, while Spain’s disciplined, patient style — built on a stingy defence that conceded only once all tournament — paid off on the biggest stage.
