Thursday, October 1, 2026
79 ° Clear
79 ° Clear
Spain is the World Cup champion for the second time in history!
In a similar fashion to their win in 2010, it took extra time once again. Ferran Torres was the hero 16 years later, scoring in the 106th minute to defeat Argentina. Torres came on in the 62nd minute and wound up playing hero.
Spain had Argentina locked down all match. The Spanish defense was so tight-knit and dominant in the first half that Argentina wasn't able to generate one single shot. Spain had three shots, with two on target, in the first 45 minutes. The first half ended with Spain in control of ball possession, 65%-35%.
The second-half was more of the same. Spain continued to dominate while Argentina still couldn't find anything. Spain had 12 shots in the second half, with eight being on target. If it wasn't for Argentina's Emiliano Martínez, Spain would have been running rampant in this match. Martínez ended up making a total of 11 saves in the match, the most ever in a World Cup Final.
Enzo Fernández was sent off with a red card in the 90+3', making Argentina's job a whole lot more difficult. He was chasing down a loose ball and battered Pau Cubarsí, and ended up being booked again and sent off. Another unnecessary foul from Fernández saw him hit the showers early.
Spain was given a free kick in the 90+6' for a chance to score a late winner. Lamine Yamal stepped up for the chance and sent the ball to the top-right corner, but Martínez made an amazing diving save to keep the match level. This World Cup Final would need extra time to decide a winner.
In the 96th minute, Nico Williams put Spain ahead 1-0, but the goal was called back for a foul! During the play, Mikel Merino's left leg made contact with Nicolás Otamendi, who ended up on the ground. VAR obviously had to check the foul, and it stood. No goal for Spain.
Spain continued to toy with Argentina in extra time, and they eventually found their breakthrough. In the 106th minute, Torres put Spain in the lead! Spain cooked up a nice build-up play down the right side, and Pedro Porro's cross to the back post was kept alive by Williams. The ball was knocked back to Torres, who fired it into the back of the net! 1-0 for La Roja!
Torres almost doubled the lead in the 113th minute, but was offside by nearly a shoulder length. He finished his chance, but the flag went up.
Lionel Messi had a strong chance in the 115th minute after nearly catching Unai Simón out, but his attempt had too much on it and landed on the top of the net. Close call for Simón!
Five additional minutes were added in extra time, and Argentina came so close again in the 120+1'. A corner from Messi was flicked on at the near post, and Giuliano Simeone fired the shot over the crossbar. Arguably, Argentina's best chance of the whole match was fired way above the goal.
Just a few minutes later, the final whistle blew, and Spain were crowned World Champions for the second time in history. The mission for a second World Cup crown was complete.
Spain only conceded one goal throughout the entire tournament, and that earned Unai Simón the Golden Glove award for the top performance by a goalkeeper. Rodri won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player; Pau Cubarsí won the Best Young Player award; and France's Kylian Mbappé won the Golden Boot. Messi won the Silver Ball, and Mbappé won the Bronze Ball.
Beating this Argentina side is no easy feat, but Spain made it look easy.
