Final
Spain 1-0 Argentina
Spain are the champions of the world.
For 90 minutes Argentina stopped Spain from scoring, and their goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made save after save to keep Spain out.
Then Enzo Fernandez got a red card right at the end of normal time, and Spain finally scored against the 10 men in extra time.
Ferran Torres scored the only goal, and Spain won 1-0 to lift their 2nd World Cup.
How the match went
Spain are world champions for the 2nd time in their history.
They beat Argentina 1-0 in the final at MetLife Stadium, and it took extra time to settle it.
In our preview we predicted Spain to win 1-0, and that is exactly how it finished.
For 90 minutes though, this was Argentina's goalkeeper against the best team in the tournament.
Emiliano Martinez saved everything, and he kept the game at 0-0 when Spain should have been in front.
Spain had the ball, the chances and the control, but for a long time they simply could not get past him.
Then came the moment that changed the final.
Right at the end of normal time, in the 3rd minute of stoppage time, Argentina's midfielder Enzo Fernandez picked up a 2nd yellow card, which automatically becomes a red.
So he had to leave the pitch, and Argentina played all of extra time with only 10 men.
Spain finally used their extra player.
In the 106th minute, early in extra time, Spain winger Nico Williams got free and passed it to their forward Ferran Torres.
Torres scored, and that one goal was enough to win the World Cup.
Argentina came into this final as the reigning champions from 2022, chasing a 2nd title in a row.
They could not do it, and only Spain got to celebrate at the end.
For Spain, this final means far more than 1 win.
Their first and only other World Cup came back in 2010, 16 years ago.
And because they are already the champions of Europe from 2024, Spain now hold both the European Championship and the World Cup at the same time.
Their manager Luis de la Fuente built the best team in the tournament, and today they proved it on the biggest stage of all.
Key moments
- 🟥 90+3' Enzo Fernández (Argentina)
- ⚽ 106' Ferran Torres (Spain)
Goals in the order they were scored.
Match highlights
Watch on YouTube- Date
- Sunday, July 19
- Kickoff Time
- 15:00 (New York time)
- Stage
- Final
What's next for Spain?
Spain have won everything there is to win right now.
They can add a 2nd star above their badge, one star for each World Cup they have won.
For a country that had lifted this trophy only once before, this is the greatest day in their football history.
The 2026 World Cup is over, and Spain are the team that ends it on top.
The end of the road for Argentina
Argentina wanted to win 2 World Cups in a row, but Spain stopped them in the final.
So the reigning champions from 2022 go home as runners-up this time.
Lionel Scaloni's team fought hard right to the end.
But the story everyone will talk about is Lionel Messi.
He still has the World Cup he lifted in 2022, and that will never change.
But unfortunately he couldn't get the perfect finish to his incredible career.
Common questions
Who won the 2026 World Cup final?
Spain won the final 1-0 against Argentina. That makes Spain world champions for the 2nd time. They beat the reigning champions to do it.
Did the World Cup final go to extra time?
Yes. It was still 0-0 after 90 minutes, so the teams played 30 more minutes. Ferran Torres then scored the winning goal in the 106th minute.
Who scored in the 2026 World Cup final?
Ferran Torres scored the only goal for Spain. Nico Williams set it up, and Torres scored early in extra time.
Why did Argentina play with 10 men?
Argentina's midfielder Enzo Fernandez was shown a 2nd yellow card in stoppage time at the end of normal time, and 2 yellows add up to a red. He then had to leave the pitch. So Argentina played all of extra time with only 10 players.
Is this Spain's first World Cup win?
No, this is their 2nd World Cup win. Their first was back in 2010. They beat Argentina in extra time to win it again.