Spain mostly defeated Argentina in the final of the 2026 World Cup

Over a month of continuous football celebration in the midst of summer - you can have any opinion about the 2026 World Cup, but there are no doubts that this tournament ultimately found its audience. And now, the moment has come when the day has arrived, after which this tournament will forever enter the history of football, and we will gradually return to the usual flow of time in club campaigns. Of course, this story was supposed to end with the final game at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey.

Spain and Argentina. That was the Spanish-speaking decisive match between the national teams, which were making their way through, as many said, a very challenging tournament grid. But with the adventures that Lionel Scaloni's team faced in the past few weeks, hardly anyone would have said that the current world champions would achieve this easily. However, the time for the Finalists has come - the current European champions against the current Copa America winners - this is a true global duel.

Of course, there were questions for Argentina on how they would respond to the ongoing attempts of Luis de la Fuente's team to play their pragmatic total football. Some thought it would be another "dirty game" from "albiceleste", some dreamed that the Argentines themselves would try to impose ball control on their opponents. But those who stopped at the option that Scaloni's team would play with a low block and individual care were right.

Such a choice, if we are talking about the drama of this duel, meant that Spain simply gave away the ball, and they had to somehow deliver it to the opponent's penalty area. Hence the predictable first half - terribly sluggish, sometimes slow, sometimes - tense in emotions, but mostly without goal moments, or with random rebounds in Emiliano Martinez's penalty area that forced the Argentine goalkeeper to get involved. Moments from Yama at the beginning and Oyarzabal closer to the break were easily traceable.

There were no big doubts that this confrontation would continue at the same pace after the break. Moreover, a forced substitution in Scaloni's team happened shortly before the break due to Lisandro Martinez's injury, and when they returned to the game after the longest break in World Cup history, as they watched a magnificent concert in American traditions, the South Americans added Paredes to the game, and then their flanks of defense began to predictably tire, so there were substitutions, substitutions, and again - substitutions. Paredes also came out clearly to mark opponents in the center of the field, so he almost immediately received his "mustard" from the referee, who had been very liberal before that.

Spain remained methodical. They pressed and pressed on their opponents, who sat lower and lower, and then the goal moments came. And here credit must be given to Emiliano Martinez, who, even with a finger injury before the start of the tournament, played a phenomenal final match in front of his own goal. After the moments from Pedri, Cucurella, Ferran Torres, Olmo on Williams, the game eventually went into extra time - solely thanks to the Argentine goalkeeper.

But what really mattered was how Enzo Fernandez let his team down at the end of the compensated time. A rough foul against Cucurella near the center line, having a warning for arguing with the referee - why did he do that? No one knows, and the player himself probably didn't immediately realize what he had done. And then there were over half an hour of play that Scaloni's team had to somehow endure with one player less.

It was a very difficult task, but when the Spaniards wasted their chances in the first overtime, it began to seem that miraculously Argentina could crawl to a penalty shootout. But after a short break, this whole story about an impregnable fortress ended when Subimendi crossed from the right flank to the far post, Williams headed, and Ferran shot into the goal with a shot under the crossbar. There was nothing left for Scaloni's team to do but to fly with all their might to save themselves, and no one says that it was impossible to do even in such a terrible game in Argentina's attack execution! The moments from Senesi and Simeone were last, very good moments, but they didn't even direct the ball towards the goal.

The final whistle of Slovenian head referee Slavko Vincic marked the victory of the Spanish national team in the final match of the 2026 World Cup, while for Argentina, the tournament path in the playoffs ended one step away from the coveted trophy.

Spain defeated Argentina in the final of the 2026 World Cup.

Spain: Simon - Cucurella, Laporte (E. Garcia, 99), Cucurella, Porro - Ruiz (Pedri, 62), Rodri (Subimendi, 99) - Baena (Williams, 75), Olmo (Merino, 75), Yamaal - Oyarzabal (Torres, 62).

Argentina: E. Martinez - Tagliafico, Lis. Martinez (Otamendi, 44), Romero (Medina, 71), Montiel (Molina, 58) - N. Gonzalez (Paredes, 46), E. Fernandez, MacAllister, De Paul (Simeone, 71) - H. Alvarez (Senesi, 102), Messi.

Referee: Slavko Vincic (Maribor, Slovenia).

Stadium: "MetLife Stadium" (New York/New Jersey, USA).

Spain - Argentina 1:0.

Goal: Torres (106).

Warnings: Lis. Martinez (41), Paredes (52), Fernandez (83), MacAllister (112).

Dismissal: Fernandez (90+3, second yellow card).