World Cup 2026 final: Spain 1–0 Argentina after extra time

Result and scorer

• Spain 1–0 Argentina (a.e.t.) — Match 104, Sunday July 19, 2026, 3 p.m. ET
• Goal: Ferran Torres 106'
• Red card: Enzo Fernández (Argentina) 90+3', second yellow
• Player of the match: Ferran Torres
• Attendance: 80,663 at MetLife Stadium
• Referee: Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)

How Spain got there

Spain won Group H with seven points and did not concede a goal in the group stage. In the knockout rounds they beat Austria 3–0 in the Round of 32, edged Portugal 1–0 in the Round of 16, came through a testing quarter-final against Belgium 2–1 — Charles De Ketelaere's equaliser was the first goal they had conceded all tournament, before Mikel Merino's 88th-minute winner — and then dismantled France 2–0 in the semi-final in Arlington. Eight matches, seven wins, one draw, one goal conceded: the Euro 2024 champions arrived in New Jersey as the tournament's most complete side.

How Argentina got there

Argentina had the harder road. They won Group J with a perfect nine points, then needed extra time to see off Cape Verde 3–2 in the Round of 32. In the Round of 16 they came from 2–0 down to beat Egypt 3–2; in the quarter-final they beat Switzerland 3–1 after extra time; and in the semi-final they came from behind again to beat England 2–1, Enzo Fernández equalising in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martínez scoring the winner in stoppage time. Two of their four knockout matches had gone to 120 minutes, and the final would be a third.

The match

The reigning European champions against the reigning world champions produced a tight, tactical final. Spain controlled possession through Rodri and Pedri, Argentina defended in a compact block and looked to release Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez on the break, and neither goalkeeper was seriously beaten in the opening hour. Luis de la Fuente turned to his bench after the hour, sending on Ferran Torres and, later, Nico Williams.

The turning point came in stoppage time. Fernández, booked in the 82nd minute, caught Pau Cubarsí with a late challenge in the third added minute and referee Slavko Vinčić showed him a second yellow card. Argentina, who had already played extra time twice in the knockout rounds, faced another 30 minutes with ten men.

They held out through the first period, but a minute into the second Lamine Yamal fed Pedro Porro on the right, Porro crossed, Williams headed the ball back across the six-yard box and Torres met it with his left foot from close range. Argentina could not find a reply, and the whistle at the end of 120 minutes confirmed Spain as world champions for the second time after 2010. Torres, who had begun the tournament as a back-up striker, was named player of the match.

What it meant

Spain became the first team to hold the European Championship and the World Cup at the same time since their own 2008 and 2010 sides, and they did it conceding a single goal across eight matches. For Argentina, the defeat ended the attempt to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to retain the trophy; Lionel Messi, 39, finished his sixth World Cup as a runner-up.

The final also closed the first 48-team World Cup: 104 matches in 39 days across 16 stadiums, a format that returns at World Cup 2030 in Spain, Portugal and Morocco — where Spain will defend the title on home soil.

Third-place play-off

The day before the final, England beat France 6–4 in Miami in the third-place play-off, the highest-scoring third-place match in World Cup history. England led 4–0 at half-time through Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and two from Bukayo Saka; France pulled it back to 4–3 through Kylian Mbappé (twice) and Bradley Barcola before Saka's penalty completed his hat-trick and Jude Bellingham added a sixth after Ousmane Dembélé's late reply. Mbappé's two goals took him past Messi as the World Cup's all-time leading scorer.

Awards

• Golden Ball: Rodri (Spain); Silver Ball Lionel Messi (Argentina), Bronze Ball Kylian Mbappé (France)
• Golden Boot: Kylian Mbappé (France), 10 goals — the first man to win it twice; Silver Boot Lionel Messi, Bronze Boot Jude Bellingham (England)
• Golden Glove: Unai Simón (Spain), seven clean sheets
• Best Young Player: Pau Cubarsí (Spain)