Spain beats Argentina 1-0 in extra time to claim 2026 World Cup

Ninety-eight minutes of scoreless, suffocating soccer. A red card that tilted the earth. Then, 37 seconds into the second half of extra time, Ferran Torres drilled a Nico Williams feed into the roof of the net — and 80,000-plus people inside MetLife Stadium split cleanly in two: half in red, erupting; half in blue-and-white, silent.

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time on Sunday to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to ABC News, ESPN and Wikipedia. The goal came in the 106th minute. The trophy — 18-karat gold, the most recognizable object in sport — was presented by President Donald Trump on the MetLife turf.

It is Spain's second World Cup title, its first since 2010. For Argentina and Lionel Messi, widely expected to be playing in his final World Cup, there is no second consecutive crown — only the long flight home.

The atmosphere in East Rutherford, New Jersey had been building since before kickoff. A closing ceremony headlined by Post Malone, with appearances by Tom Cruise, Robbie Williams, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger and internet streamer IShowSpeed, gave way to Jennifer Hudson performing the national anthem, according to ABC News. Then the teams walked out into a wall of noise from a crowd that Wikipedia puts at 80,663 — a figure that dwarfs the 70,000-plus ABC News cited in its initial report.

What followed was a match that looked, for long stretches, like it would be decided by a goalkeeper. Argentina's Emiliano Martínez made 11 saves — a record for a World Cup final, according to Wikipedia — repeatedly denying Spain's attackers, including 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, the tournament's breakout star who had already helped Spain win the 2024 European Championship. Spain finished with an expected goals total of 1.94 from 20 shots; Argentina managed just two attempts, worth 0.2 xG, according to ESPN.

The match turned in stoppage time of the second half. Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernández, already on a yellow card, was sent off for a second bookable offense — leaving the defending champions to navigate extra time with ten men. Spain had a goal ruled out when a foul on Otamendi in the build-up was spotted, but they kept pressing. When Williams headed the ball into Torres's path seconds into the second period of extra time, Torres did not hesitate.

Argentina had chances to equalize in the closing minutes. Giovanni Simeone met a Messi corner at the near post but blazed over the bar, according to ESPN's live account. It would prove their last real opportunity.

After the final whistle, according to Wikipedia, a brawl broke out between the two teams on the pitch — a coda that underlined just how much was at stake for both sides.

The scale of this tournament was itself a story. The 2026 World Cup was the first to feature 48 teams — up from 32 in Qatar — co-hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada, with the final round beginning June 11, according to ABC News. Spain's path to the final included wins over Austria, Portugal, Belgium and France. Argentina eliminated Cape Verde, Egypt, Switzerland and England.

Spain's victory also carries a statistical footnote: the country now simultaneously holds the men's and women's World Cup titles, having won the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023, according to Wikipedia.

The halftime show — the first ever at a World Cup final — stretched the break to more than 27 minutes, a violation of International Football Association Board protocol, according to Wikipedia. Madonna, BTS, Shakira, Justin Bieber and the Muppets headlined, with Burna Boy, Coldplay, conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the PS22 Chorus — a choir of fourth and fifth graders from a Staten Island public school — also performing, according to ABC News.

For Messi, who turned 39 this year and has played at five World Cups spanning two decades, the loss closes what is almost certainly his final chapter on the sport's biggest stage. He leaves with one title, from 2022 in Qatar, and a legacy that no single result can diminish — but the image of him watching Torres celebrate from ten-man Argentina's half will be the one that endures from New Jersey.

Why it matters — Spain's win ends Argentina's reign as world champions and almost certainly closes Lionel Messi's World Cup career, while marking the first time a nation has held both the men's and women's world titles simultaneously.

Sources differ on Attendance at the 2026 World Cup final: More than 70,000 (abcnews.com) vs 80,663 (en.wikipedia.org)

Reported by abcnews.com, fifa.com, espn.co.uk, en.wikipedia.org