Spain are world champions again. Substitute Ferran Torres scored deep into extra time to give Spain a 1-0 win over Argentina in Sunday’s World Cup final, denying Lionel Messi a second straight title in what is expected to be his last match at the tournament.
Torres struck in the 106th minute, pouncing on a bouncing ball inside the box and finishing left-footed under the crossbar. The goal came moments after Argentina were reduced to 10 men, with Enzo Fernandez sent off for a reckless tackle in second-half stoppage time.
“It was a goal scored by 47 million people,” Torres said afterwards, referring to Spain’s population.
It is Spain’s second World Cup win, following their 2010 triumph, and comes just three years after Spain’s women’s team lifted the Women’s World Cup — making Spain the first nation to hold both titles at the same time.
A Dominant Tournament From Start to Finish
Spain’s win was built on defense. The team conceded only one goal across eight matches, setting a new record for the fewest goals allowed by a World Cup-winning side.
Sunday’s final followed the same pattern. Spain took the game’s first 20 shots on target before Argentina managed a single attempt in extra time, and won nine of the first ten corner kicks. Only a record-equalling 12 saves from Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez kept the score close.
“Dibu was nothing short of exceptional,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, using Martinez’s nickname. De la Fuente, 65, is now the oldest coach to win a World Cup.
The result also extends Spain’s unbeaten run to 38 matches — 29 wins and nine draws — the longest such streak by a European men’s national team, surpassing Italy’s 37-match run between 2018 and 2021.
Argentina Push Late but Can’t Find an Equalizer
Argentina’s best chance of the match came in its final minutes, when a Messi corner fell to substitute Giuliano Simeone, whose header went over the crossbar.
It proved to be their last real opportunity. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni acknowledged the gap after the match: “We lost the game, and we accept that. That doesn’t mean that we will forget everything we’ve done so far… we played our hearts out.”
Tensions boiled over in the closing stages and after the final whistle, with players and coaching staff from both sides involved in pushing and shoving following Fernandez’s red card. Spain’s players later formed a guard of honor for Argentina as they collected their runner-up medals from FIFA president Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump.
The End of an Era for Messi
At 39, Messi is widely expected to have played his final World Cup match. He was unable to find a way past Spain’s defense and left the pitch in tears.
The defeat does little to dim a career regarded as one of football’s greatest: a World Cup title in 2022, two Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024, and 16 Argentina Player of the Year awards across 19 years.
Spain midfielder Rodri, who won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, said: “I think now I’m in a cloud.”
A Record-Breaking World Cup
Sunday’s final was the 104th and last match of the biggest World Cup in history — a 48-team tournament played across the United States, Canada and Mexico that produced more than 300 goals overall, the most of any edition.
Spain’s win also means no team has retained the men’s World Cup since Brazil won consecutive titles in 1958 and 1962.
The occasion was matched by a large-scale closing ceremony and halftime show featuring Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS, Shakira and Burna Boy, watched by roughly 80,000 fans in the stadium and an estimated global television audience of up to two billion people.
“As I told the lads before the game, we have to go for the game, we need to face them, we have to look to their eyes and say we want this game,” Rodri said. “And then, life gives you the World Cup or not.”