Spain beats Argentina: Was 'La Roja's' triumph a victory for football?

Image caption, Rodri, Spain midfielder, lifts the World Cup after his team's victory over Argentina

Article Information

Author, Emma SmithRole, Journalist - BBC Sport

Published 26 minutes ago

Reading time: 5 minutes

Describing a match result as 'a victory for football' may sound cliché, but it would not be easy to find many neutral observers who disagree with that description after Spain's win in the 2026 World Cup final.

When Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in extra time, and Rodri lifted the trophy high in New Jersey, it is hard to imagine many sympathized with Argentina.

Spain wrested a result from a match that drained players and fans, defeated Argentina and won the men's World Cup for the second time.

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According to some, by every measure of football – and perhaps also of ethics – this was the right result.

Former England captain Alan Shearer said on BBC One: 'There is no doubt the better team won... From start to finish, Spain dominated possession, and they were the side that tried to play football, create chances and break through.'

He added: 'This result is a victory for football because of the way Spain played. They deserve the title.'

Spain had 65% possession, an expected goals total of 1.94, and 20 shots on goal, 11 of which were on target.

On the other side, goalkeeper Unai Simón kept a clean sheet for the seventh time in eight matches, earning the Golden Glove as the tournament's best goalkeeper.

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World Cup final: Spain world champions for the second time after defeating Argentina

Spain conceded just one goal in the 2026 World Cup, the fewest conceded by any tournament-winning team.

Spain surpasses Argentina by all measures

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Spain – even in the world of international football, which is hard to measure by numbers alone – is clearly the most outstanding team in the world.

They are world, Olympic and European champions, and also women's world champions. The men's team have not lost in their last 38 matches in all competitions, the longest unbeaten run for a European team in history.

They started this tournament with a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, meaning that on both occasions Spain have won the World Cup, they failed to win the opening match – they lost 1-0 to Switzerland in 2010.

Only three players have completed 100 or more passes in a World Cup final, two of which occurred in this final by Spain players: Rodri with 101 passes, and Cubarsí with 121.

For many members of the team, this may be just the beginning.

Cubarsí, aged 19, was named the tournament's Best Young Player, while his Barcelona teammate Lamine Yamal seemingly still has his best years ahead.

At 19 years and six days, Lamine Yamal became the third youngest player to appear in a World Cup final, after Pelé in 1958 and Giuseppe Bergomi in 1982, and is now the third youngest player to win the title.

Argentina fails to spoil Spain's celebration

Image caption, Enzo Fernández was sent off in the 90th minute after a violent challenge on Cubarsí

Argentina is often portrayed, especially by English fans, as the 'villain' of international football.

As they did in the semi-final against the Three Lions, they seemed more interested in preventing the match from flowing naturally than in playing football in the first half.

Leandro Paredes was the chief spoiler, and Enzo Fernández was his deputy.

Although four Argentine players received yellow cards, many may see that as reinforcing the impression that the team received lenient treatment during the tournament.

Argentina completed a total of 464 passes, compared to Spain's 852.

But, unlike England, Spain did not retreat in the second half. And had they won this match long before Torres's goal in the 106th minute, there would have been little room for complaint.

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez had to make 11 saves, the most saves by a goalkeeper in a World Cup final since the statistic began being recorded.

At the other end of the pitch, the defending champions became the first team in World Cup history not to have a shot in 90 minutes of a final. Their first attempt came from Lionel Messi in the 117th minute.

Argentina lost their title, and the scenes following the final whistle led many to feel they also lost their dignity.

'Disgusting behaviour'

Image caption, Argentina's Paredes (number 5) attacks Spain's Gavi (number 9) after the match ended

Fernández first received a yellow card for dissent, then a second yellow for a challenge that sent Cubarsí tumbling through the air.

After the final whistle, Paredes got into scuffles with Rodri, Gavi and Borja Iglesias, while teammate Nahuel Molina was seen throwing a punch at a Spanish player passing by.

BBC analyst Wayne Rooney said: 'It's embarrassing to see such things after the match. A team has just won the World Cup, and this is simply not appropriate... Paredes is better than that. But he didn't stop, he kept escalating.'

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni tried to defend his team's performance amid tears in his post-match press conference, but ultimately acknowledged that the better team won.

Regarding Fernández's sending off, he said: 'Even though they were dominating us until the 85th minute, I would like to know what would have happened if we had finished the match with 11 players.'

He added: 'We managed to hold on until the end in such an open match, but it wasn't possible. They deserved to win, that's the truth.'

Argentina may have dragged the World Cup final into extra time – making it the fifth final out of the last six to go beyond regulation – but that was not enough to hide Spain's superiority.

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart said on BBC One: 'Argentina cannot complain at all about what happened. It was disgusting behaviour.'

He added: 'I don't think Rodri needed to confront the Argentine players like that, but you understand it happens after 120 minutes of intense tension, and when you feel wronged and the referee was constantly pressuring you.'

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