In a historic and memorable night hosted at MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey, the Spanish national team once again reclaimed the throne of world football. “La Roja” was crowned champions of the 2026 World Cup following a thrilling and well-deserved 1-0 victory over Argentina after extra time, in a breathtaking final played on Sunday evening, July 19.
From the very first whistle, the Spanish “Matadors” imposed their style and absolute dominance over the 90 minutes through possession and creating a flurry of clear-cut scoring opportunities. In contrast, Argentina’s “Tango” team chose to drop back, relying on a rigid defensive block. As a result, Spain’s attacking machinery failed to find the back of the net, and regulation time ended in a goalless draw.
The turning point of the match occurred in the final moments of regular time, specifically in the third minute of stoppage time, when Argentine star Enzo Fernández received a second yellow card and was sent off. This left his teammates to face the Spanish onslaught in extra time with a devastating numerical disadvantage.
As the match entered the second half of extra time, precisely in the 106th minute (the second minute of the second extra period), super-sub Ferran Torres stepped up to play the hero. Capitalizing on a ball inside the penalty area, he unleashed a powerful strike that shook the Argentine net, announcing the precious “golden” winning goal that rocked the stadium.
Following the coronation, the Spanish dominance extended to the tournament’s individual awards; Rodri was named the Best Player of the 2026 World Cup, while Pau Cubarsí took home the Best Young Player award, and Unai Simón secured the Golden Glove for Best Goalkeeper.
With this historic triumph, Spain wrote its name in letters of gold, securing the second World Cup title in its history, following their 2010 breakthrough in South Africa. On the flip side, Messi’s teammates tasted the bitterness of defeat, failing to retain their title back-to-back after Qatar 2022, watching their dreams of adding a fourth star to their jersey evaporate.
It is worth noting that the curtain had been raised on the third-place play-off at midnight on Saturday, July 18, where the English national team clinched the third place and the bronze medal after defeating France in a Hollywood-style, high-scoring thriller (6-4) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, USA.