Spain has won its second World Cup as it defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This match, despite its close scoreline, will be remembered as one of the most lopsided finals in the history of this competition.
The Argentina vs Spain World Cup final was played at the New York New Jersey Stadium. Heading into the final, both teams had had very different journeys in this tournament. While the Spaniards had been compact and collected in all their knockout matches, the Albiceleste had to survive against weaker teams with late goals on multiple occasions.
What Happened In The Argentina vs Spain World Cup Final?
The first 15 minutes of this match encapsulated the storyline that this match will follow. Spain, with their immaculate build-up play, will get into the opposition half and take a shot, only for it to be either tackled by the defenders or saved by the goalkeeper. Emiliano Martínez.
There is not much to talk about in the regulation time of this match. Spain did create chances but did not take a high-xG shot at the target. Meanwhile, the Argentines sat back on defence.
Argentina, besides their defensive line, was quite subpar today. In the first hour of the match, team captain and stalwart Lionel Messi did not even get a proper dribble in, let alone create a chance.
The defending world champions were, at times, appalling in the midfield, losing possession left, right, and centre. And their only attacking strategy in this Spain vs Argentina game was to hoof the ball upfield, which would inevitably come back into Spanish possession.
The second half was not much different. The Argentines, aware of their inability to compete with La Roja in a man-to-man game, faced additional difficulties when their best defender, Lisandro Martinez, had to be substituted just before half time due to what appeared to be a muscle pull.
Argentina were also quite rough in this match, committing several fouls. This finally caught up to them when, in the third minute of stoppage time, Enzo Fernández fouled Pau Cubarsí. Already on a yellow card and several warnings, the attacking midfielder received his second yellow and was sent off, leaving his team one man short.
In the 90 minutes of regulation time, Argentina’s best player was clearly Emiliano Martínez, who had made seven saves in this game by that point. Meanwhile, for the 2010 champions, the defensive duo of Pedro Porro and Cubarsi were standouts. But their best player might have been captain Rodri.
In the first half of extra time in this Spain vs Argentina game, the defending champions played a fairly deep line, which stopped the Spaniards from scoring. Winger Nico Williams did put the ball into the net, but in the build-up, a Spanish player had stepped on the foot of Nicolás Otamendi, and thus the goal was disallowed.
However, as soon as the second half started, the fresh legs of Nico Williams ran into the box, found himself with a tight angle at the goal, and passed it back to Ferran Torres, who rocketed the ball into the net, 1-0 Spain.
What made this final a one-sided affair could be explained away by stats. Not only did the current European champions have 68% possession in this Argentina vs Spain World Cup final, but they also took 20 shots, 11 of which were on target. Meanwhile, Argentina, up until the five minutes of stoppage time in the second half of extra time, failed to take even a single shot.
In the extra time, Lionel Messi looked desperate for maybe the first time in this competition. This performance was amplified after conceding, as the GOAT made a fair few mistakes, did not manage to make his signature long pass, and was beaten on the run a fair few times.
In the five minutes of stoppage time at the end of this match, Argentina received several corners, Messi put in some good balls, and Giuliano Simeone had what was Argentina’s best chance in the game. But the midfielder instead skied his volley over the net.
And just a couple of minutes later, the referee blew his whistle, and Spain became world champions for the second time in their history. The Spanish were clearly the best team in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. And while they did not score a goal until the 106th minute in the final, they were by far the better team on the night.
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