Spanish midfield anchor Rodri was named the Best Player of the 2026 World Cup after Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time on Sunday at MetLife Stadium near New York.

Rodri played in all of Spain's matches in the tournament from the group stage to the final, featuring almost every minute, except for two substitutions: in the opening match against Cape Verde, and also in the final during extra time.

The player, who had previously won the Ballon d'Or, increased his World Cup match tally to 12 after playing in 5 matches in the previous edition, noting that he has played a total of 70 international matches, scoring 4 goals and providing 2 assists.

The International Federation (FIFA), the tournament organizer, announced the selection of Rodri's Spanish teammates Unai Simon and Pau Cubarsi (19 years old) as the best goalkeeper and best young player of the tournament, respectively.

The Spanish national team won the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada for the second time in its history, after its valuable and deserved 1-0 victory over Argentina on Sunday evening, regaining the title it previously won in 2010 in South Africa.

The Spanish and Argentine teams went to extra time after a goalless draw in regular time on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the final match of the North American World Cup.

Spain had the most possession in the match, which had a dull first half.

In the second half, the Spanish pace increased and they had several dangerous opportunities, especially in the last quarter of an hour.

The match saw an important turning point in stoppage time, when Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who played a crucial attacking role in the knockout stages, received a second yellow card after a foul on young defender Cubarsi.

Ferran Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in the 106th minute.

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Spain, which appeared in its second World Cup final, extended its unbeaten run to 38 consecutive matches in various competitions, becoming the first European team to achieve this feat, breaking a tie with Italy, noting that it recorded 29 wins and 9 draws in that run.

In contrast, Argentina, making its seventh appearance in a World Cup final, aimed to become the third team to retain the title in two consecutive editions after Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962).

During its journey in the current World Cup, Argentina began by topping Group 10 in the group stage with 9 points, achieving a perfect record after winning 3-0 against Algeria, 2-0 against Austria, and 3-1 against Jordan.

Argentina defeated Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time in the round of 32, before winning by the same score against Egypt in the round of 16.

Argentina won 3-1 against Switzerland after extra time in the quarter-finals, then defeated England 2-1 in the semi-finals.

As for Spain, it began its World Cup campaign by topping Group 8, drawing 0-0 with Cape Verde in its first match of the current edition, then achieving a big 4-0 win against Saudi Arabia, followed by a hard-fought 1-0 win over Uruguay.

Spain also won 3-0 against Austria in the round of 32, then beat Portugal 1-0 in the round of 16, while it defeated Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-finals, and France 2-0 in the semi-finals.