Spain wins 2026 World Cup 1-0 over Argentina in 106-minute final at MetLife Stadium

Ferran Torres came off the bench, waited 44 minutes, and then did what no one else could in 90-plus minutes of relentless Spanish pressure: he scored. His left-footed finish in the 106th minute — pouncing on a bouncing ball in the box and burying it just under the crossbar — gave Spain a 1-0 victory over Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, according to CBS News and FIFA.

It was a goal that encapsulated the entire match. Spain outshot Argentina 20-3, took 15 shots in regulation to Argentina's zero, and earned nine corners to Argentina's one. Yet for all that dominance, it took a substitute, a moment of chaos in the box, and a numerical advantage — Argentina had been reduced to ten men late in the second half — to finally break the deadlock.

It was a goal scored by 47 million people.— Ferran Torres, Spain forward

Torres entered the match in the 62nd minute as a substitute, a role that defines much of his international career. At club level he has long alternated between starter and impact player, but on the World Cup's biggest stage he delivered the only moment that mattered. The goal came from a Nico Williams header, and Torres finished it past Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez — who had kept the match scoreless almost single-handedly with a record number of saves in a World Cup final, according to CBS News.

Martínez's performance was extraordinary and ultimately futile. He denied Lamine Yamal on a curling free kick from 22 yards that was heading for the right post. He leapt, punched the air, implored the crowd — and still could not prevent the inevitable. Torres was named man of the match.

The path to that moment ran through Enzo Fernández. The Argentina midfielder picked up his second yellow card in the third minute of stoppage time at the end of the second half, after a reckless challenge that sent Spain defender Pau Cubarsi cartwheeling into the air, according to CBS News. Argentina played the entirety of extra time with ten men, and the toll was visible.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, at 65, became the oldest coach ever to lead a team to a World Cup title, according to CBS News. His side allowed only one goal across eight matches in the tournament — a World Cup record for fewest goals conceded by a champion. Spain is now unbeaten in 38 consecutive matches, surpassing Italy's previous European record of 37, according to CBS News.

We are world champions. It was together we reached this stage.— Luis de la Fuente, Spain head coach

For Argentina, the defeat ended a bid to become the first nation since Brazil — in 1958 and 1962 — to win back-to-back World Cups, according to CBS News. Lionel Messi, in what may be his final World Cup match, took a corner kick with about four minutes remaining in extra time. The ball reached substitute Giuliano Simeone, who sent it high over the crossbar and held his head in disbelief.

The final whistle triggered a brawl. Argentina's Leandro Paredes was seen appearing to grab a Spanish player by the throat, according to CBS News. The altercation was quickly contained, and in a striking coda, Spain's players formed an honor guard for Argentina's squad to walk through on the way to collect runner-up medals.

The victory carries weight beyond the scoreline. Spain became the first nation to simultaneously hold both the men's and women's FIFA World Cup titles, having won the women's tournament in 2023, according to CBS News and the University of Edinburgh's Impact publication. FIFA estimates approximately 1.5 billion people watched the final in some capacity, according to Impact. Spain's prize money totaled $50 million — $8 million more than Argentina received for winning in 2022, according to Impact.

The 2026 tournament was the largest in World Cup history, featuring 48 nations for the first time, up from 32 in 2022, according to Wikipedia. More than 6.66 million spectators attended matches across three host nations — Canada, Mexico, and the United States — with a 99.7 percent stadium occupancy rate, according to Impact. The final drew 80,663 spectators to MetLife Stadium, according to Wikipedia.

The match was also a political and cultural spectacle. President Trump attended alongside First Lady Melania Trump, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — an invitation Trump extended amid ongoing trade tensions between the two countries, according to CBS News. Spain's Royal Family and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were also in attendance. The halftime show — the first ever at a World Cup final — featured Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, BTS, and others, according to reports.

Why it matters — Spain's win ends Argentina's reign as world champions, sets multiple tournament records, and makes Spain the only nation ever to hold both the men's and women's World Cup titles at the same time.

Sources differ on Emiliano Martínez save count in the final: 12 saves (cbsnews.com) vs 11 saves (en.wikipedia.org)

Reported by cbsnews.com, en.wikipedia.org, fifa.com, impact.ed.ac.uk