Full time: Spain 1-0 Argentina (after extra time). Ferran Torres settled the 2026 World Cup final deep into extra time, giving Spain their second World Cup title and a first men’s crown since 2010. Here is how the whole match unfolded at MetLife Stadium, from kick-off to the final whistle.
Final score
- Spain 1-0 Argentina (after extra time, 90 minutes ended 0-0)
- Goal: Ferran Torres, 106th minute
- Sent off: Enzo Fernandez (Argentina), second yellow card, 90+3′
- Venue: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Referee: Slavko Vincic
How it happened
Full time. Spain are champions of the world for the second time, sixteen years after their only previous title. Luis de la Fuente’s side dominated the final from start to finish and were only denied by a string of saves from Emiliano Martinez, who finished with 11 stops, the most by any goalkeeper in a World Cup final, according to ESPN. Spain finished with 20 shots and an expected-goals total of 1.94 to Argentina’s two shots and 0.20 xG, a lopsided reading of a final that never looked in doubt from Spain’s side of the pitch.
Scenes after the whistle. Messi collected his runners-up medal in tears in what is very likely the last World Cup match of his career, closing out a tournament in which he finished with eight goals, two behind the Golden Boot. Tempers boiled over in the aftermath, with reports suggesting Leandro Paredes was also sent off after the final whistle amid confrontations between the two squads. Among the crowd for the trophy ceremony was US President Donald Trump, with the closing show ahead of kick-off having already featured a speech from Tom Cruise and a ring announcement from Michael Buffer, delaying the start of the match by five minutes.
106′ GOAL! Spain 1-0 Argentina. Ferran Torres, on as a substitute, struck within 39 seconds of the second period of extra time beginning, heading in from close range after Lamine Yamal beat two defenders down the left and kept the ball in before squaring it across goal, as described by Yahoo Sports. Ten-man Argentina had no answer, and the goal proved decisive.
Extra time, first period. Spain continued to press with a numerical advantage but could not find a breakthrough in the opening 15 minutes of extra time. Argentina’s first shot of the entire match did not arrive until the 117th minute, a blocked effort from Messi, underlining just how one-sided the game had been territorially even with Spain unable to convert their control into goals.
90+3′ RED CARD. Enzo Fernandez off, Argentina down to 10 men. Fernandez was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Pedri Cubarsi, leaving referee Slavko Vincic with no choice but to send him off deep into second-half stoppage time, just as the match looked to be heading for extra time regardless.
Second half. Disallowed goal for Spain. Nico Williams thought he had put Spain ahead when he fired the ball into the net, but the goal was chalked off after a VAR review found a foul by Merino on Otamendi in the build-up. It was the closest Spain came to breaking the deadlock inside 90 minutes despite dominating possession and territory throughout.
62′ Spain make a double change. Luis de la Fuente made two substitutions, including withdrawing top scorer Mikel Oyarzabal, as he looked for fresh legs to finally break down a deep and disciplined Argentina defence.
Second half underway. Spain picked up where they left off, continuing to dominate the ball and territory, with Argentina sitting deep and relying on Emiliano Martinez to deal with anything that got through.
Half-time: Spain 0-0 Argentina. No goals at the break, but the pattern of the match was already clear. Spain had the vast majority of possession and the better chances, with Martinez called into action more than once to keep the scores level. Argentina had barely threatened going forward.
First half. Spain settled into the passing rhythm that had carried them through the tournament, moving the ball patiently and probing for gaps, while Argentina looked to stay compact and hit on the counter, though few of those counters materialised into anything clear-cut.
Kick-off (delayed). The match got underway five minutes behind schedule after an elaborate pre-match ceremony at MetLife Stadium, part of the closing show for the first 48-team World Cup.
Match facts
- Spain possession: 60 percent
- Shots: Spain 20 (12 on target), Argentina 2
- Expected goals: Spain 1.94, Argentina 0.20
- Saves: Emiliano Martinez 11, a World Cup final record
- Spain’s unbeaten run in regular time reached 38 matches (29 wins, 9 draws), their longest ever, overtaking Italy’s European record of 37, per FIFA’s official match report
- Spain became the first nation to hold the men’s and women’s World Cup titles at the same time
- Messi became the first man to start three World Cup finals (2014, 2022, 2026) and the oldest outfield player to start one
Spain’s win completes a second World Cup title to go with their 2010 triumph, and comes on the back of their European Championship success, cementing this generation as one of the most decorated in the nation’s history. For Argentina, the defeat ends their bid to become just the third team to retain the World Cup, and very likely brings the curtain down on Messi’s international career at the very top level.
