Spain Crowned World Champions in New York

Spain lifted the 2026 World Cup after defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final held at MetLife Stadium in New York, bringing the curtain down on an exceptional tournament with a dramatic finish that extended into extra time and ended with La Roja's victory over the reigning champions.

Golden Goal in Extra Time

The net remained untouched for the full 90 minutes and the stoppage time that followed, until the decisive moment came in the 106th minute when Ferran Torres scored the only goal of the match, assisted by Nico Williams, giving Spain a lead they held until the final whistle. Torres had come on as a substitute for Mikel Oyarzabal in the 62nd minute, while Williams replaced Alejandro Baena in the 75th minute, making the duo the architects of the defining moment of this edition.

Disruptions in Argentina's Ranks

Argentina endured a difficult night in terms of both discipline and lineup; Lisandro Martínez received a yellow card in the 41st minute, and was replaced by Nicolás Otamendi shortly before the end of the first half, in the 44th minute. In the 52nd minute, Leandro Paredes was booked minutes after coming on. The yellow cards continued: Enzo Fernández in the 82nd minute, Cristian Romero in the 90+2 minute (despite having been substituted earlier), then coach Lionel Scaloni in the 104th minute, and Alexis Mac Allister in the 111th minute. Argentina finished the match with five yellow cards and one red card, compared to none for Spain.

Overwhelming Statistical Dominance by Spain

The result was no coincidence but rather the culmination of statistically dominant performance; Spain enjoyed 65% possession to Argentina's 35%, and took 20 shots compared to just two for Argentina. Shots on target were even more telling, with Spain registering 12 on target to Argentina's zero, while Argentina's goalkeeper made 11 saves to keep his clean sheet as long as possible. Spain completed 762 passes out of 852, compared to 357 out of 463 for Argentina.

Man of the Match

The Man of the Match award went to goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez with a rating of 9.8, a testament to his exceptional performance despite the defeat, as he kept Argentina in the contest with a series of outstanding saves before Ferran Torres' goal ultimately decided the match.

Follow the 2026 World Cup coverage moment by moment — results, match schedule, group standings on Sabq.