Spain defeat Argentina in final to win 2026 World Cup
Ferran Torres came off the bench to score the winning goal to lead Spain to a 1-0 win over Argentina in the final of the 2026 World Cup at the Miami Stadium on Sunday.
The Barcelona forward was the hero for the country with his first goal of the tournament to win the trophy.
Spain coach Luis De La Fuente kept faith with the same lineup that defeated France in the semi-final.
Luis Scaloni made two changes to the side that pipped England for a place in the final as Leandro Paredes and Giuliano Simeone made way for Rodrigo De Paul and Nico Gonzalez.
Lamine Yamal was presented with a glorious opportunity in the early moments of the game but he was denied by Emi Martinez.
The Spanish side dominated the game in the first half denying the defending champions the space to hurt them as Argentina struggled to create anything of note.
In the 44th minute, Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez was replaced by Nicolas Otamendi due to a thigh injury.
Scaloni’s side failed to record any shot in the first half as the contest ended goalless.
Paredes replaced Nico Gonzalez at halftime but Spain kept the same lineup for the second half.
Substitute Torres’ header was directed straight at Emi Martinez as Spain continued their dominance in the second half.
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Enzo Fernandez was sent off for Argentina for a second bookable offence in the 94th minute.
Martinez made a sublime save to deny Lamine Yamal in the closing moments of regulation time before the encounter went into extra time.
Nico Williams thought he had given Spain the lead in the first half of extra time but his effort was ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper Martinez.
The Athletic Bilbao forward assisted the winning goal in the second half of extra time when his flicked header was bundled home by Ferran Torres to hand Spain the trophy.
Spain withstood late pressure from Argentina driven by Lionel Messi, to seal an historic win for their second World Cup trophy.
Top Stats From Spain vs Argentina
0 – Argentina are the first ever team to fail to have a single shot in 90 minutes in a FIFA World Cup final.
3 – Lionel Messi is the second player to feature in three different FIFA World Cup finals (after Brazil’s Cafu), while at 39 years old he’s the oldest outfield player to ever play in the showpiece.
4 – 🇪🇸 duo Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí are the fourth and fifth teenagers to start a FIFA World Cup final, with each of the previous three going on to lift the trophy that year:
🇧🇷Pelé 1958 (17y 249d)
🇮🇹Giuseppe Bergomi 1982 (18y 201d)
🇫🇷Kylian Mbappé 2018 (19y 207d)
2 – 19-year-old Lamine Yamal is the first player to have played in both a UEFA European Championship final and a FIFA World Cup final as a teenager.
