Spain are world champions for the second time. Substitute Ferran Torres fired a 106th-minute winner past Emiliano Martinez to give La Roja a 1-0 extra-time victory over 10-man Argentina at MetLife Stadium, completing the most dominant tournament run the World Cup has seen in decades. It was a fitting end to a campaign in which spain win world cup 2026 by conceding just one goal across eight matches, shutting out every opponent except the final itself, where Argentina’s heroic goalkeeper kept the score level for 105 minutes before Torres finally broke through.
How the Final Unfolded
Spain dominated from the first whistle. Lamine Yamal forced Martinez into a save inside three minutes, and the pattern was set: Spain attacked in waves, and Martinez repelled them. The Argentine keeper made 11 saves across the 120 minutes, a World Cup final record, including brilliant stops from Dani Olmo, Torres, Pau Cubarsi, and Nico Williams. Argentina, by contrast, did not register a single shot on target in 90 minutes. Their entire strategy was to frustrate Spain and hope Messi could produce a moment from nothing. Messi never got the chance.
The match turned in stoppage time at the end of the second half. Enzo Fernandez, already on a yellow card, scythed through Cubarsi with a reckless challenge and received his second booking. Argentina were reduced to 10 men, and the final’s outcome was effectively sealed. Williams thought he had scored moments later, but the goal was ruled out by VAR for a marginal offside.
Torres’ Moment
The winner arrived in the 106th minute, 37 seconds after the restart of the second half of extra time. Williams headed a cross into the path of Torres, who had come on as a substitute in the second half. Torres met the ball six yards out and rifled it into the roof of the net with a power that even Martinez, who had been superhuman all night, could not stop. Torres became just the second substitute to score the winning goal in a World Cup final, after Germany’s Mario Gotze in 2014.
“I did not think too much,” Torres said afterward. “I just saw the ball coming to me and I shot with the power of all the Spanish people.”
The Defining Stats
| Stat | Spain | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 1 | 0 (AET) |
| Goal | Torres 106′ | — |
| Red card | — | Fernandez 90+3′ (2nd yellow) |
| Shots (on target) | 20 (12) | 2 (0) |
| Expected goals (xG) | 1.94 | 0.20 |
| Possession | 60% | 32% |
| Martinez saves | — | 11 (WC final record) |
Messi’s Last Dance Ends in Silence
Lionel Messi, 39, sat alone on the pitch after the final whistle, taking in what was almost certainly the last World Cup match of his extraordinary career. He finished the tournament with eight goals and four assists, but the final was the one match where the magic did not arrive. Spain’s defensive discipline, anchored by Rodri and Cubarsi, starved Messi of the ball and the space he needed. Argentina’s all-time World Cup top scorer with 21 career goals walked off without adding to the tally, and the back-to-back title that would have completed the fairy tale belonged to Spain instead.
Spain’s Tournament: A Defensive Masterclass
Spain conceded just one goal in eight matches across the entire tournament, a record that may never be matched at a 48-team World Cup. Goalkeeper Unai Simon kept seven clean sheets. The defense, led by Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, and full-backs Marc Cucurella and Pedro Porro, was the tournament’s best by every statistical measure. Manager Luis de la Fuente became the first coach to win the European Championship and the World Cup in consecutive tournaments, a feat that cements this Spanish generation as one of the greatest international sides ever assembled.
For how Spain’s run compared to their 2010 triumph, the full awards breakdown, and the complete tournament results, see our 2026 World Cup awards guide and our complete bracket tracker. Official highlights at FIFA.com.
