Spain beats Argentina in extra time to win World Cup final

Spain finally turned overwhelming control into a trophy at MetLife Stadium, beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time after 90 minutes of scoreless pressure in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Ferran Torres scored the only goal, and Spain’s dominance was stark: 20 shots to Argentina’s three.

The win gave Spain its second World Cup title and its first since 2010, when the nation last lifted football’s biggest prize. This final pitted the reigning European champions, fresh from Euro 2024, against Argentina, the defending world champions led by Lionel Messi, in a match that had been framed around Messi and Spain teenager Lamine Yamal.

The game lived up to the billing as a grind as much as a showcase. Spain had the ball, the territory and the chances, but Argentina held on through regulation before Torres broke the deadlock in extra time. It was only the second World Cup meeting between the countries, and the previous one ended in an Argentina 2-1 win, adding another layer to a final shaped by history as much as by tactics.

The wider stage was just as large. The 2026 FIFA World Cup final capped a 39-day tournament spread across 103 matches, with an estimated 2.5 billion viewers expected to watch. Donald Trump was expected to attend the match, which served as the closing fixture for New York/New Jersey’s host area. For Spain, the result was a second global crown built on control, patience and a late finish that made a one-sided final look far tighter than the numbers suggested.