Spain won the 2026 World Cup, beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final on July 19, 2026. Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute to give Spain its second title, after 2010. The decisive match of the first 48-team World Cup went the distance. Fizbal’s archive of every World Cup final since 1930 tells you who won each one and how it was won. Messi, Maradona and Pele all belong among the best soccer players of all time and the story behind each one.
How did Spain win the 2026 World Cup final?
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19, 2026, with Argentina down to ten men for the whole of extra time. The match hinged on a red card deep in stoppage time and a second-half substitution, and the goal came only after Emiliano Martinez had kept Spain out for 105 minutes.
| Minute | Event | Why it mattered |
|---|---|---|
| 62’ | Ferran Torres replaced Mikel Oyarzabal | The man who would score the winner entered; he soon headed Lamine Yamal’s cross straight at Emiliano Martinez |
| 90+3’ | Enzo Fernandez sent off, a second yellow card for a late challenge on Pau Cubarsi | Argentina played all of extra time a man short |
| End of 90 | Emiliano Martinez turned Lamine Yamal’s free kick around the post with the last kick | It stayed 0-0 and went to extra time |
| 106’ | Ferran Torres scored | The only goal of the final |
| Final whistle | Spain 1-0 after extra time | Spain’s second World Cup, after 2010 |
Who scored in the 2026 World Cup final?
The short answer
How did Spain and Argentina reach the 2026 final?
Spain and Argentina both came through four knockout rounds at a 48-team World Cup, the first to stage a round of 32. Mikel Merino’s 88th-minute winner beat Belgium in the quarterfinal, two minutes after he came on.
| Round | Spain | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 32 | 3-0 Austria | 3-2 Cape Verde (after extra time) |
| Round of 16 | 1-0 Portugal | 3-2 Egypt |
| Quarterfinal | 2-1 Belgium | 3-1 Switzerland (after extra time) |
| Semifinal | 2-0 France | 2-1 England |
| Final | 1-0 Argentina (after extra time) | 0-1 Spain (after extra time) |
Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty, won by Lamine Yamal, and a Pedro Porro strike took Spain past France in the semifinal. Argentina’s route was rougher, with extra time twice, a 2-0 deficit against Egypt in the round of 16, and Lautaro Martinez’s stoppage-time winner against England in the semifinal.
What happened between Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi?
The final was billed as Lionel Messi’s “last dance” against Spain and its winger Lamine Yamal, a label from the press, not from Messi himself. Yamal started the final, supplied the cross Ferran Torres headed straight at Emiliano Martinez, and struck the free kick Martinez turned around the post with the last kick of normal time. Yamal scored one goal at the tournament, against Saudi Arabia on June 21, 2026, and won the penalty in the semifinal against France. Messi played the whole final. He closed the tournament with 8 goals and 4 assists and took the Silver Ball. On August 31, 2026, he retired from the Argentina national team. The film Messi’s last World Cup follows his run to that final.
Who won the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup?
Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot, the award for the tournament’s top scorer, with 10 goals, his second Golden Boot in a row. Lionel Messi finished closest, with Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham level behind him.
| Player | Goals | How the race ended |
|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappe | 10 | Won it; France finished fourth after losing the third-place match 6-4 to England |
| Lionel Messi | 8 | Second; he played in the final |
| Erling Haaland | 7 | Norway went out in the quarterfinal, 2-1 to England after extra time |
| Jude Bellingham | 7 | England finished third |
Who won the Golden Ball at the 2026 World Cup?
The short answer
Who was the youngest player at the 2026 World Cup?
The short answer
What will the 2026 World Cup be remembered for?
The 2026 World Cup will be remembered for two farewells, three hosts gone before the quarterfinals, Morocco’s repeat run, and a new all-time scoring record.
- Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth and last World Cup ended in the round of 16, a 1-0 loss to Spain on July 6, 2026, and he left as the first player to score at six World Cups; Ronaldo’s farewell tells that story.
- All three hosts went out in the round of 16, the United States last with a 4-1 defeat by Belgium on July 6. The tournament’s shocks live on the biggest World Cup upsets.
- Morocco reached the quarterfinal again after its 2022 semifinal, the first African nation in successive quarterfinals, beating the Netherlands on penalties and Canada 3-0 before a 2-0 loss to France on July 9.
- Kylian Mbappe’s 10 goals took him to 22 World Cup goals, the all-time record; Lionel Messi had passed Miroslav Klose in June, and Mbappe passed him in the third-place match.
Was 2026 the last World Cup for Messi and Ronaldo?
The short answer
Where was the 2026 World Cup final played?
The short answer
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