2026 World Cup: Spain Wins in Overtime; Argentina Loses in Disappointing Performance

Spain was crowned world champion for the second time in its history—after 2010—by defeating Argentina with exactly the same score as back then: a 1-0 victory in extra time. This time, the hero was Ferran Torres, who sealed the 2026 World Cup title in the 106th minute at the end of a tight, tense match that was low on excitement and very nerve-wracking in the closing moments. The Albiceleste also finished the match with ten men, following Enzo Fernández’s red card in the 94th minute, and fell short of a back-to-back title after winning the 2022 World Cup. It was also a disappointment for Lionel Messi, who was lackluster and failed to score on the night he mathematically lost the title of top scorer to Kylian Mbappé.

Spain posed its first real threat five minutes into the match at MetLife Stadium thanks to Yamal; fans had to wait until the end of the first half for two more chances, created by Oyarzabal and Cucurella. For Argentina’s first chances, fans had to wait until extra time, as the Albiceleste finished the 90 (and more) minutes of regulation without even a single shot on goal. Dibu Martinez thus took center stage; though not always precise, he was effective against Baena, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, and—in stoppage time—Yamal. A rough tackle on Cubarsì earned Enzo Fernandez his second yellow card, and extra time began with Nico Williams’ goal being disallowed amid controversy. In the 106th minute, however, the same Athletic striker laid off a perfect pass to Torres, who blasted the ball under the crossbar with his left foot. With the 120th minute already up, Argentina finally made their presence felt, but Senesi and, above all, Giuliano Simeone squandered a colossal chance to equalize. Sixteen years after Andrés Iniesta’s goal against the Netherlands, the celebration belongs entirely to Spain.

The refereeing performance of Slovenian Slavko Vincic inevitably came under fire, as he was at the center of controversy over the disallowed goal by Nico Williams in the 5th minute of the first extra-time period. The referee from Maribor had called a foul by Mikel Merino on Otamendi in the play leading up to the assist for Williams, but did not consult the VAR—handled by German Bastian Dankert, assisted by Nicolas Gallo and Khamis Al Marri — in an incident as dubious as it was decisive. It was a decision that the Argentine bench did not take well at all and that immediately sparked protests online. This is not the first time Vincic has crossed paths with Argentina’s fate in a World Cup knockout stage: he was the referee for the Albiceleste’s shocking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening match of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the last setback for Scaloni’s national team before the run that led them to the title.

The fact that the 90 minutes of regulation time had ended without a single shot on goal had already been mercilessly highlighted live by Daniele Adani on Rai 1, exactly at the 90-minute mark: “The game is ugly, and Argentina is making it even uglier. They never, ever got back on track,” declared the commentator from Emilia, on a night when even Messi had been sidelined for much of the game, touching his first real ball only in the 16th minute before being fouled by Alex Baena. This lackluster performance also had a significant impact on the race for the top of the scoring charts: Mbappé, who had already finished his World Cup with 10 goals by the time of the third-place match that France lost to England, had predicted from New York on ‘Fox Sports’ that “Leo always scores; he’ll definitely score against Spain.” The Real Madrid star’s prediction fell flat.

The evening at MetLife Stadium was not without its off-field highlights. Donald Trump was present in the VIP box, where he welcomed King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain along with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez—with whom relations are far from smooth, after the U.S. president, just eleven days ago at the NATO summit in Ankara, the U.S. president had called Spain “a lost cause” and “a terrible partner in NATO”—and it was he, not Gianni Infantino, who was tasked with presenting the World Cup trophy to the winners, according to a new rule announced by the FIFA president himself. Argentine President Javier Milei, however, was absent; his absence was attributed, according to live reports by Rai, to mere superstition.

Among those present in the stands was Álvaro Morata, who, despite no longer being part of the national team — he played only one World Cup qualifying match, against Turkey in September 2025 — did not want to miss the event. Before the final, it was Rodri himself who dedicated a touching message to him: “If we’re here today, a significant part of our journey is thanks to him.” Those words moved the Como forward, who was coming off a difficult season—including physical challenges—following an adductor muscle injury sustained in December against Inter. “When people say things like that about me, it fills me with pride,” Morata admitted to AS reporters. “I’m really happy, but I don’t want to cry here right now.”