Commentary
IT'S FULL TIME HERE AT NEW YORK NEW JERSEY STADIUM AND SPAIN ARE CROWNED WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS AFTER A 1-0 WIN OVER ARGENTINA IN THE 2026 FINAL! Spain's mission for a second World Cup crown is complete, and they follow up their European Championship success by conquering world football 16 years after they first did so! De la Fuente's side dominated this final from start to finish, but they were unable to find a way past an inspired Martinez, who made several brilliant saves to keep Spain out, but the game turned in La Roja's favour in second-half stoppage time when Fernandez was sent off for a second bookable offence. From there, Spain looked like the only side capable of winning the game, and they thought they had taken the lead when Williams fired into the net, but the goal was ruled out for a foul on Otamendi by Merino in the build-up. But Spain did not give up, and they found a way past Argentina within 37 seconds of the restart in the second half of extra time when Torres rifled the ball into the roof of the net after being teed up by Williams! It was not to be for Messi, who looks to have played in his final match at the World Cup, but even he will concede Spain were worthy winners. They finished with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.94 from their 20 shots to Argentina's tally of 0.2 from their two attempts. It seem crazy to think that Spain started their World Cup campaign with a draw to tournament debutants Cape Verde, but they have since gone on to become worthy winners of the tournament! That brings an end to another enthralling World Cup campaign, and we already can't wait to do it all over again in four years time. That is all from us, thank you for joining!
ByPA
Jul 19, 2026, 05:58 pm
Super sub
Ferran Torres fired
Spain to their second men's World Cup triumph as what may be Lionel Messi's last dance ended in 10-man
Argentina falling to a meek 1-0 extratime defeat.
Billed as a boxoffice final between the South American and European champions, what transpired was a defence versus attack exercise as the holders showed spirit but precious little else.
Faltering Argentina failed to muster a shot across 90 minutes and only Emiliano Martinez's heroics kept Spain at bay, with the goalkeeper preventing teenager
Lamine Yamal from scoring a match-winning free-kick.
The reigning champions lost
Enzo Fernández to a brainless second yellow card just before extra time, with Lionel Scaloni's lacklustre side continuing to stumble against Luis de la Fuente's classy, ball-playing outfit.
Spain kept knocking at the door and substitute Torres eventually slammed home at the start of the second period of extra time.
Argentina were unable to eke out an equaliser having been a pale imitation of the team that broke England's hearts in Wednesday's semi-final.
Tempers frayed as the final whistle sparked Spanish celebrations and surely called time on 39-year-old star Messi's last World Cup match.
Ferran Torres scored the winner on Sunday as Spain clinched their second World Cup.
David Ramos/Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump was among the star-studded crowd at MetLife Stadium, where the closing ceremony was packed with so much American razzmatazz that kick-off was delayed by five minutes.
Tom Cruise gave a cringeworthy speech and ring announcer Michael Buffer bellowed 'let's get ready to rumble,' which
Argentina once again took as an invitation to rough up their opponents.
Referee Slavko Vincic was as lenient as Wednesday's official against
England as the champions attempted to unceremoniously break up Spain's patient, probing play.
Yamal forced Martinez into the first of many saves, but play was slow in the New Jersey sun. Argentina's number one comfortably dealt with a
Mikel Oyarzabal effort and was relieved to see Marc Cucurella's drive miss.
A tense, if forgettable, opening was followed by a surreal halftime that swung from Ronaldo and Ronaldinho driving a car with Madonna to the Muppets, leading to an interval that reached 27 minutes and 20 seconds.
Spain continued in the ascendancy after the first-ever World Cup halftime show and continued to by unruffled by Argentinian intimidation.
Martinez just stopped
Dani Olmo and freshly introduced Torres saw a powerful header denied as Argentina continued to sit back without taking a shot.
Scaloni's side had no answers as
Pedri had an effort before
Pau Cubarsí stung the palms from distance.
Martinez dealt with an
Aymeric Laporte header and Torres turned wide as the onslaught continued, with Argentina midfielder Fernandez booked before a frantic end to regulation time.
Martinez parried a
Nico Williams shot clear and the Argentina midfielder flipped Cubarsi with an ugly attempt to win the ball, collecting a second booking that he inexplicably protested against.
It was a self-inflicted stoppage-time wound that would have been followed by a winner was it not for inspired goalkeeper Martinez. Yamal whipped a wicked 25-yard free-kick that was bound for the top corner until his intervention.
Argentina held on but extra time offered no respite as the Martinez show continued.
The
Aston Villa shot-stopper thwarted Williams and was then relieved to see his goal ruled out for an apparent foul in the build-up.
Mikel Merino powered a header narrowly wide as Spain kept knocking on the door, with the goal finally arriving within a minute of the second period getting under way.
Williams stretched to meet a hooked cross and nodded back for Torres to thrash home, sparking wild celebrations as substitutes poured onto the pitch.
Torres looked to have sealed victory when running through to beat Martinez, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside in the build-up to keep Argentina's hopes alive.
Hearts were in mouths when Spain just stopped a cross finding its man, so too when
Giuliano Simeone fired over, but there was to be no blockbuster conclusion.
Spain celebrated becoming the first nation to hold the men's and women's World Cup titles simultaneously, while tensions boiled over after the final whistle.
Leandro Paredes looked to have gone out swinging amid reports he too was sent off.
Messi stood in tears in front of Argentina's fans after collecting the runners-up medal, while President Trump managed to squeeze himself into another celebration shot.
