The final chapter of the 2026 FIFA World Cup unfolded at New York/New Jersey Stadium in the United States. In a historic showdown, Spain and Argentina faced off for football’s ultimate prize, with La Roja securing a 1–0 victory to lift the World Cup trophy for the second time in their history.
Spain lineup:
Unai Simón; Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte (99' Eric García), Marc Cucurella; Rodri (99' Martín Zubimendi), Fabián Ruiz (62' Pedri), Dani Olmo (75' Mikel Merino); Lamine Yamal, Álex Baena (75' Nico Williams), Mikel Oyarzabal (62' Ferran Torres).
Argentina lineup:
Emiliano Martínez; Gonzalo Montiel (58' Nahuel Molina), Cristian Romero (71' Facundo Medina), Lisandro Martínez (44' Nicolás Otamendi), Nicolás Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul (71' Giuliano Simeone), Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Nicolás González (46' Leandro Paredes); Lionel Messi, Julián Álvarez (102' Marcos Senesi).
From the opening minutes, both sides looked to threaten each other's goal, with Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi at the heart of their attacks. In the 5th minute, Yamal found himself through on goal with a near one-on-one opportunity, but Emiliano Martínez came out on top.
La Roja enjoyed the lion's share of possession and stayed true to their trademark style of play throughout the World Cup final. The tactical battle continued with few clear-cut chances until the halftime break. The first dangerous shot on target of the opening half came in the 39th minute, when Mikel Oyarzabal struck a low effort that was comfortably saved by Emiliano Martínez. Four minutes later, Marc Cucurella's left-footed drive flashed narrowly wide of the post.
Argentina suffered its biggest setback of the first half when Lisandro Martínez was forced off through injury. Lionel Scaloni had little choice but to replace him with Nicolás Otamendi.
The pattern of the game changed little after the break. Spain remained the more adventurous side, while Argentina relied on a physical approach to disrupt La Roja's rhythm. The first clear chance of the second half arrived in the 67th minute, when Lamine Yamal's cross found fellow Barcelona teammate Ferran Torres, whose header was comfortably gathered by Emiliano Martínez.
Argentina then suffered another injury blow as Cristian Romero was forced off in the 71st minute, making way for Nahuel Molina.
With many expecting his introduction, Mikel Merino entered the fray in the 75th minute in place of Dani Olmo, underlining Spain's determination to push for a winner. After a lengthy spell without chances, Merino picked out Ferran Torres in the 87th minute, though the forward's effort posed little threat. The best opportunity came deep into stoppage time, when Nico Williams unleashed a powerful strike in the third minute of added time, only for Martínez to produce yet another crucial save.
The major talking point came moments later, as Enzo Fernández flew into a heavy challenge on Pau Cubarsí. Referee Slavko Vinčić showed the Argentine midfielder a second yellow card in the third minute of stoppage time, reducing Argentina to ten men.
Spain nearly snatched victory in the eighth minute of added time, but Lamine Yamal's free-kick was tipped over the bar by the outstanding Emiliano Martínez, ensuring the match finished goalless after 90 minutes.
Just 37 seconds into the second period of extra time, in the 106th minute, Spain finally got the breakthrough they had been searching for. Pedro Porro's cross was headed across goal by Nico Williams into the path of Ferran Torres, who unleashed a powerful finish into the roof of the net to give La Roja the lead. Torres thought he had doubled Spain's advantage in the 113th minute after racing through one-on-one with Emiliano Martínez, but the goal was correctly ruled out for offside.
Argentina pushed desperately for a late equaliser. In the 120th minute, Giuliano Simeone's cross was turned behind for a corner by the Spanish defence, but the resulting opportunity came to nothing. Moments later, Simeone fired a dangerous effort over the crossbar, confirming the collapse of the defending champions' hopes as Spain held on to lift the World Cup.
In the end, Spain managed to preserve their narrow lead and lift the World Cup trophy, celebrating their first triumph at the tournament in 16 years.
