Spain are world champions for the second time.
On Sunday, 19 July 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Ferran Torres came off the bench to score the only goal in the 106th minute of extra time and end Argentina’s reign as world champions.
Nico Williams provided the headed assist, Torres struck left-footed into the high centre of the goal past a beaten Emiliano Martínez. And 80,663 fans inside the Meadowlands rose to their feet as Spain completed a 1-0 victory in the tightest, most gripping World Cup Final in years.
It was a match defined by what Argentina’s goalkeeper prevented rather than what Torres eventually delivered. Martínez made 11 saves across 120 minutes, preventing an estimated 1.76 expected goals according to Sofascore data.
He stopped shots from Yamal, Oyarzabal, Baena, Porro, Pedri, Dani Olmo, and substitute Williams across the full duration of the contest. Spain had 12 shots on target in the match. Argentina had zero. Martínez was named Player of the Match despite his country losing the tournament. That tells the story of the final more clearly than any other single fact.
Enzo Fernández’s red card in the 93rd minute, a second yellow for a foul on Pau Cubarsí, broke Argentina’s resistance and handed Spain the numerical advantage they had been unable to convert through sheer quality alone.
Against ten men, Torres found the space that Martínez had denied every Spain player for 105 breathless minutes. Spain finish this tournament unbeaten across eight matches, extending their unbeaten international run to 38 games, the longest active streak in European football.
Table of Contents
Match Details
- Spain 1-0 Argentina (AET)
- Venue: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: Sunday, 19 July 2026 (8:00 PM WAT)
- Goalscorer: Ferran Torres (106′)
- Assist: Nico Williams (headed pass)
- Attendance: 80,663
- Referee: Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)
- Player of the Match: Ferran Torres
Also Read: How Spain and Argentina Will Approach the 2026 World Cup Final
Key full-match statistics:
- Spain shots on target: 12, Argentina: 0
- Spain xG: 1.94, Argentina xG: 0.17
- Spain big chances: 4, Argentina big chances: 0
- Spain passes: 852 (89% accuracy), Argentina: 464 (77%)
- Spain corners: 9, Argentina: 4
- Argentina yellow cards: 6 (Lisandro Martínez, Paredes, Fernández x2, Romero, Mac Allister)
- Spain yellow cards: 0
A Goalless 90 Minutes: Martínez Stands Alone
Spain controlled the match from the opening minutes. Lamine Yamal forced Martínez into a save in the fifth minute with a left-footed effort from the right side of the box. Oyarzabal tested him from outside the area in the 39th minute. Baena worked a save from the Argentine in the 46th minute immediately after half time. Between those moments, Spain created and created without reward.
Martínez produced his most important save in the 67th minute, diving to stop Torres’ header from the centre of the box after a Yamal cross. Dani Olmo had a header blocked from point-blank range moments earlier. Rodri drove a shot wide in the 89th minute. Nico Williams forced another top save in the 93rd minute with a right-footed effort Martínez clawed away to his right. Argentina reached the end of 90 minutes having registered two shots in total, both from outside the box, and zero on target.
Fernández’s Red Card and the Decisive Moment
Fernández picked up his first yellow card in the 82nd minute for a foul on Mikel Merino. His second arrived in the third minute of stoppage time when he caught Cubarsí late with a poorly timed challenge. Referee Slavko Vinčić showed the card immediately. Argentina faced extra time with ten men. Spain, having battered the Argentine goal for 90 minutes without reward, now had room to breathe.
Nico Williams, introduced at the 75-minute mark, immediately changed the dynamic in extra time. Pedri fed him into space inside the first half of extra time. His run was stopped but Spain kept pressing. In the 106th minute, Williams collected the ball centrally, played a sharp headed pass through the line of defenders, and found Torres. The Barcelona forward struck cleanly, left-footed, into the roof of the net before Martínez could react. Spain 1-0. The stadium shook.
Messi’s Final World Cup Appearance
Argentina’s captain fought until the very end. Messi attempted one shot in extra time, blocked by a Spanish defender in the 117th minute. He finished this World Cup with 8 goals and 4 assists across seven matches, a total that would be remarkable for any player. Mbappé’s 10 goals in the bronze-medal match ensured the Golden Boot stayed in French hands.
Messi turned 39 during this tournament and has confirmed this was his final World Cup. He leaves having appeared in six editions, having won every major honour the sport offers, having rewritten the record books in multiple statistical categories. He could not add a second World Cup winners’ medal. Yamal, the teenager he once held as a baby, spent the final minutes of the World Cup trying to lock down the Argentina captain and preventing him from writing one last chapter.
Spain’s Legacy
Luis de la Fuente’s side won this World Cup without conceding a goal until the quarter-final against Belgium. They beat Austria, Portugal, Belgium, France, and Argentina across the knockout rounds without losing once. Spain are world champions for the second time, following their victory in Johannesburg in 2010. Yamal’s headband carrying the Mataró postcode lifted towards the New Jersey night sky. Torres, Rodri, Pedri, and an entire generation of Spanish footballers who spent the last four years building under de la Fuente reached the summit of the sport.
On a night when Argentina’s goalkeeper was the best player on the pitch, Spain still found a way. That is what champions do.
Also Read: Who Will Win the 2026 FIFA World Cup From the Final Eight Teams
