Spain beat Argentina in dominant World Cup final win
Developed over time first seen 3 months ago
Spain have been confirmed as 2026 World Cup champions after beating holders Argentina 1-0 in a final marked by near-total Spanish control rather than dramatic end-to-end action. Substitute Ferran Torres struck the decisive goal in the 105th minute of extra time, turning in a deflected shot for his first strike of the tournament, as Spain secured a first World Cup title since 2010 and denied Argentina back-to-back championships. The result also likely brought the international career of 39-year-old Argentina great Lionel Messi to a close, after he failed to make a telling impact on the game.
Spain outshot Argentina 20-0 across normal and extra time, with Argentina failing to register a shot on goal until the 116th minute, and held 62 per cent of first-half possession. Argentina's task was made harder when midfielder Enzo Fernández was sent off for a second yellow card in the 92nd minute, leaving his side to play out extra time with ten men, while a Spanish goal from Nico Williams was ruled out shortly before the 100th minute for a foul in the build-up. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, playing through a broken finger, made a record ten saves for a World Cup final to keep Argentina in contention until Torres finally broke the deadlock.
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In short
- Spain beat Argentina 1-0 to win the 2026 World Cup
- Ferran Torres scored the only goal in extra time, minute 105
- Spain had 20 shots to Argentina's none until the 116th minute
- Messi's World Cup career likely ends after this final
How this story developed
- 3 months ago Coverage was refined to note that Martínez had already made his record ten saves before extra time had even finished, sharpening the picture of Argentina's rearguard effort as further accounts confirmed Spain's 1-0 win stood as the final, undisputed result crowning them 2026 champions.
- 3 months ago Fresh detail emerged that Torres's winner was his first goal of the tournament and came off the bench, that Emiliano Martínez set a World Cup final record with ten saves while playing on a broken finger, and that a Nico Williams effort had earlier been disallowed for a foul in the build-up just before the 100th minute.
- 3 months ago Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 World Cup final, with Ferran Torres netting a deflected extra-time winner in the 105th minute to give Spain their first title since 2010, a match in which Spain fired 20 shots to Argentina's none until the 116th minute and Enzo Fernández was sent off in the 92nd, likely ending Lionel Messi's World Cup career.
Explained simply
Spain and Argentina met in the final of the 2026 World Cup, football's biggest international tournament, held every four years. Argentina arrived as the defending champions, having won the previous tournament in 2022, while Spain were looking to add to the title they last won in 2010. Both nations have long, storied histories in the sport, making this a high-profile clash between two of football's traditional powers.
A key figure in the build-up was Argentina's Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, who at 39 was expected to be playing in what was likely his final World Cup appearance. His participation added extra significance to the match beyond the immediate contest for the trophy, with many following the game partly to see how his international career would conclude.
The final matters because it decides the sport's most prestigious prize, watched by hundreds of millions of people worldwide, and cements national and individual legacies. For Spain, victory would mark a return to the summit of the international game after a 16-year gap, while for Argentina, the match represented a chance to secure back-to-back titles, a feat achieved by few nations in the tournament's history.
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Originally published by Deadline as “Spain Wins The 2026 World Cup 1-0, Punishing Argentina With 20 Shots On Goal”.