Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time to win FIFA World Cup 2026

Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the 106th minute — the Barcelona forward, a 62nd-minute substitute, struck from close range after Nico Williams headed Pedro Porro's cross into his path.

The scoreline, tight as it was, did not begin to tell the story of a match that Spain utterly controlled. La Roja finished the final with 68 per cent possession, 20 shots to Argentina's three, and 11 efforts on target against a defending champion that managed not a single shot on goal across 120 minutes of football. 

Unai Simon, Spain's goalkeeper, was a spectator for the most part — Argentina's Emiliano Martinez, by contrast, made 10 saves to keep his side in contention deep into extra time.

Argentina, the two-time defending world champions, arrived at the final having beaten England in the semi-finals, with Lionel Messi leading from the front in what many expect to be his final World Cup. But on the night, Messi and his teammates were penned back, harried, outrun and outplayed. Argentina collected five yellow cards and a yellow-red, a disciplinary record that reflected both their frustration and Spain's relentless pressure.

Photo: FIFA/X

Spain's route to the title was imperious throughout. They eliminated France 2-0 in the semi-finals, avenging nothing in particular but confirming everything about a side that has grown in authority with every passing round. Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Dani Olmo, Pedri and the ever-dependable Rodri gave Spain a midfield and attacking quality that no opponent in this tournament could match.

The winning goal, when it finally came six minutes into the second period of extra time, was the just reward for a performance that had been asking the same question for 105 minutes. Argentina had no answer and, ultimately, no legs left to find one.

Spain's victory is a triumph not just of talent but of system — of a footballing culture that has produced generation after generation of technically immaculate players who understand space, pressing and possession at a level that remains the global benchmark.