🌐 Português | English | Español
New York/New Jersey Stadium, July 19, 2026 — Final, 2026 World Cup Spain 1 x 0 Argentina (Ferran Torres, 105', extra time — assist by Nico Williams) | Enzo Fernández sent off at 90+3'
After suffocating France in the semifinal and a preview that pointed to an evenly matched final, the decider ended up being, paradoxically, the most one-sided game of the entire Cup — except this time the goal took 105 minutes to arrive. Spain are two-time world champions, adding the trophy to the European title they already held, on the back of a campaign that conceded just one goal all tournament.
The match: total dominance, late conversion
The final FIFA numbers tell the story without needing adjectives:
- Shots: 20 vs 2, with 12 on target against 0 for Argentina — Scaloni's side didn't convert a single shot into a real goal-scoring threat across 120 minutes.
- xG (expected goals): 2.52 (Spain) vs 0.07 (Argentina) — per the FIFA official full report, the largest chance-creation gap of this entire coverage.
- Possession and passing: Spain attempted 878 passes (789 completed, 90%) against Argentina's 476 (375 completed, 79%) — official figure from the complete report, including extra time.
- Crosses: 24 vs 9 for the whole match (including set pieces), with only 3 completed by Spain in open play and none for Argentina.
- Corners: 9 vs 4.
- Total distance covered: 148 km (Spain) vs 142 km (Argentina).
- Yellow cards: 0 vs 6 — a brutal disciplinary gap, plus one red card: Enzo Fernández, sent off at 90+3' for a second yellow, forcing Argentina to play the entire extra time a man down.
- Forced turnovers: 56 (Spain) vs 54 (Argentina) — per the complete official report, Spain actually edged this category too, underscoring just how comprehensive the dominance was: Spain pressed relentlessly even while holding the ball.
The goal came from Ferran Torres at 105' per the official FIFA report (some outlets logged it as 106'), assisted by Nico Williams — moments after Spain had already had a Williams goal disallowed for a foul on Otamendi. It fell to Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez to keep Argentina alive for nearly the whole match: per the official report, the Argentine keeper faced 20 shots, made 11 goal interventions, and posted a 92% save rate, the single factor that prevented a rout. On the other side, Unai Simón was barely tested, facing just 2 Argentine shots the entire match.
How the campaign's arc played out
Every piece we documented throughout this coverage showed up in the final:
Spain's tactical versatility, again. Just as it did against France (accepting 45.8% possession to suffocate the opponent), Spain here took the opposite approach: dominating possession and territory from start to finish (878 passes is a stratospheric volume), but needing total patience — the goal only came in extra time, after hours of pressure without reward.
The bench factor confirmed — just on the wrong side of the coin for Argentina. In the final preview, we noted both sides had proven "impact subs": Mikel Merino for Spain, Lautaro Martínez for Argentina. Curiously, neither of them decided the game — it was Ferran Torres, who had come on as early as the first half (62') for Oyarzabal, showing Spain's bench depth ran deeper than just the already-celebrated Merino.
Argentina's defensive fragility, piece by piece. Argentina changed center-backs three times over the course of the match (Lisandro Martínez injured at 44', followed by successive reinforcements at the back), had Paredes booked seven minutes after coming on, and closed the match with six yellow cards and a red — Scaloni's team paid the physical price of sustaining, for over 100 minutes, constant Spanish pressure.
Individual awards
- Golden Ball: Rodri, Spain's captain, capping a tournament of total midfield control.
- Silver Ball: Lionel Messi — his second Silver Ball at a World Cup.
- Bronze Ball and Golden Boot (top scorer): Kylian Mbappé (France).
- Golden Glove: Unai Simón — just one goal conceded across the entire tournament, seven clean sheets.
- Best Young Player: Pau Cubarsí, 19, who attempted 126 passes in the final — the highest volume of any player on the pitch.
- Player of the Match: Ferran Torres, scorer of the title-winning goal.
The aftermath: ugly scenes
The final whistle didn't just bring celebration. According to BBC Sport's coverage, Leandro Paredes was involved in a physical altercation, throwing what was described as "two or three haymakers" toward an opponent on the pitch — scenes heavily criticized by commentators, including Alan Shearer: "There is no place or space for that. We know how much it means to them and how much it hurts to lose, but there is a way to lose."
Individual ratings confirm the hero (and the villain) of the match
Supplementary performance data (WhoScored) helps round out the picture:
- Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez had, by far, the best rating of the match: 8.2 — well above any other player on the pitch, statistically confirming he kept Argentina alive practically on his own. The official FIFA report confirms: 20 shots faced, 92% save rate.
- Lamine Yamal was the second-best player on the pitch, with a 7.5 rating — even without a goal or assist, a quietly decisive performance that went largely unremarked in live coverage.
- Leandro Paredes closed the match with the lowest rating among all players used: 5.8 — the player brought on at halftime to stabilize Argentina's midfield was booked seven minutes later and, at the final whistle, was involved in the altercation criticized by the press. A complete character arc: came on as the tactical fix, left as the team's weakest link.
- Team ratings: Spain 6.58 vs Argentina 6.48 — closer than the volume of play would suggest, driven almost entirely by the Argentine goalkeeper's individual performance.
- Other numbers: touches (1,082 vs 661), dribbles (22 vs 14), possession lost (29 vs 22 — Spain lost the ball more often trying to build out, despite having far more of it), interceptions (11 vs 16) and tackles attempted (25 vs 30) — the latter two confirming, once again, an Argentina more defensively active even at extreme territorial disadvantage.
- Alexis Mac Allister's remarkable physical effort: the Argentine midfielder covered 14,987.7 meters — the most of any player on the pitch, even edging out Rodri (12,431.4 m), a display of total physical exertion trying to cover Spain's dominance.
- Nicolás Tagliafico led individual Argentine pressing: 14 direct pressures, the match's highest mark — more than any Spanish player (Rodri led Spain with just 5), a sign that Argentina's late pressure became more individual than collective, unlike what we saw in the semifinals.
- Pau Cubarsí, 97% line-break completion: 33 attempts, 32 completed — the most consistent mark of the match, reinforcing why the 19-year-old center-back took home Best Young Player.
What this campaign represents
With this title, Spain adds the World Cup to the European Championship it already held, cementing itself as the most complete national team of the current cycle — just one goal conceded in seven matches, a dominant midfield led by Rodri, and a new generation (Cubarsí, Yamal, Baena) already showing championship-level maturity. For Argentina, there's the disappointment of a final in which the statistical performance was among the most one-sided ever seen in a World Cup decider — but also the admirable resistance of a team that, backed by Emiliano Martínez, took the game to the 105th minute before conceding.
As Joe Hart summed it up on the BBC: "Spain fully deserve it. They have dominated all game against a rigid, rugged Argentina. The best team has won this World Cup."
Complete match data: lineups, minutes and player/goalkeeper numbers
Below is the full breakdown from the official match report (PMSR/FIFA): starting XIs with minutes played, passing and physical numbers for every player who featured, and a detailed goalkeeper comparison.
Spain — lineup and minutes played
| Player | Position | Status | Off | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex BAENA | MF | Starter | 75' | 75 |
| Aymeric LAPORTE | DF | Starter | 99' | 99 |
| Dani OLMO | FW | Starter | 75' | 75 |
| Fabian RUIZ | MF | Starter | 62' | 62 |
| Lamine YAMAL | FW | Starter | — | 111 |
| Marc CUCURELLA | DF | Starter | — | 111 |
| Mikel OYARZABAL | FW | Starter | 62' | 62 |
| Pau CUBARSI | DF | Starter | — | 111 |
| Pedro PORRO | DF | Starter | — | 111 |
| RODRI | MF | Starter | 99' | 99 |
| Unai SIMON | GK | Starter | — | 111 |
| Ferran TORRES | FW | Sub (on 62') | — | 49 |
| PEDRI | MF | Sub (on 62') | — | 49 |
| Nico WILLIAMS | FW | Sub (on 75') | — | 36 |
| Mikel MERINO | MF | Sub (on 75') | — | 36 |
| Martin ZUBIMENDI | MF | Sub (on 99') | — | 12 |
| Eric GARCIA | DF | Sub (on 99') | — | 12 |
Unused substitutes: Alex GRIMALDO, Borja IGLESIAS, David RAYA, GAVI, Joan GARCIA, Marc PUBILL, Marcos LLORENTE, Victor MUNOZ, Yeremy PINO.
Argentina — lineup and minutes played
| Player | Position | Status | Off | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexis MAC ALLISTER | MF | Starter | — | 111 |
| Cristian ROMERO | DF | Starter | 45' | 45 |
| Emiliano MARTINEZ | GK | Starter | — | 111 |
| Enzo FERNANDEZ | MF | Starter | — | 111 |
| Gonzalo MONTIEL | DF | Starter | 44' | 44 |
| Julian ALVAREZ | FW | Starter | — | 111 |
| Lionel MESSI | FW | Starter | 70' | 70 |
| Lisandro MARTINEZ | DF | Starter | 70' | 70 |
| Nico GONZALEZ | MF | Starter | — | 111 |
| Nicolas TAGLIAFICO | DF | Starter | 57' | 57 |
| Rodrigo DE PAUL | MF | Starter | 102' | 102 |
| Nico PAZ | FW | Sub (on 44') | — | 67 |
| Marcos SENESI | DF | Sub (on 45') | — | 66 |
| Facundo MEDINA | DF | Sub (on 57') | — | 54 |
| Lautaro MARTINEZ | FW | Sub (on 70') | — | 41 |
| Thiago ALMADA | FW | Sub (on 70') | — | 41 |
Unused substitutes: Exequiel PALACIOS, Geronimo RULLI, Giovani LO CELSO, Giuliano SIMEONE, Jose Manuel LOPEZ, Juan MUSSO, Leandro PAREDES, Nahuel MOLINA, Nicolas OTAMENDI, Valentin BARCO.
Player passing & physical numbers (full match, sorted by distance covered)
| Player | Team | Passes (att/comp, %) | Distance | Sprints | Top speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexis MAC ALLISTER | Argentina | 30/25 (83%) | 14.99 km | 59 | 28.9 km/h |
| Marc CUCURELLA | Spain | 85/75 (88%) | 13.30 km | 59 | 30.4 km/h |
| Pau CUBARSI | Spain | 124/121 (98%) | 13.09 km | 33 | 31.0 km/h |
| Pedro PORRO | Spain | 115/105 (91%) | 12.95 km | 43 | 31.6 km/h |
| Nicolas TAGLIAFICO | Argentina | 40/32 (80%) | 12.92 km | 36 | 30.8 km/h |
| Lamine YAMAL | Spain | 53/44 (83%) | 12.76 km | 50 | 31.3 km/h |
| RODRI | Spain | 105/99 (94%) | 12.43 km | 40 | 30.3 km/h |
| Julian ALVAREZ | Argentina | 17/13 (76%) | 11.96 km | 56 | 31.8 km/h |
| Enzo FERNANDEZ | Argentina | 36/32 (89%) | 11.41 km | 38 | 27.9 km/h |
| Aymeric LAPORTE | Spain | 92/85 (92%) | 10.19 km | 21 | 32.6 km/h |
| Lionel MESSI | Argentina | 35/27 (77%) | 10.15 km | 28 | 30.8 km/h |
| Nicolas OTAMENDI | Argentina | 24/22 (92%) | 9.26 km | 28 | 30.6 km/h |
| Leandro PAREDES | Argentina | 44/36 (82%) | 8.58 km | 31 | 29.8 km/h |
| PEDRI | Spain | 59/56 (95%) | 8.52 km | 37 | 27.4 km/h |
| Dani OLMO | Spain | 26/21 (81%) | 8.25 km | 31 | 32.2 km/h |
| Alex BAENA | Spain | 20/16 (80%) | 7.96 km | 34 | 29.8 km/h |
| Rodrigo DE PAUL | Argentina | 29/26 (90%) | 7.86 km | 53 | 30.5 km/h |
| Unai SIMON | Spain | 45/34 (76%) | 7.72 km | 3 | 26.9 km/h |
| Giuliano SIMEONE | Argentina | 15/10 (67%) | 7.65 km | 33 | 33.7 km/h |
| Fabian RUIZ | Spain | 51/46 (90%) | 7.48 km | 13 | 30.2 km/h |
| Nahuel MOLINA | Argentina | 27/19 (70%) | 7.37 km | 35 | 31.9 km/h |
| Mikel MERINO | Spain | 19/17 (89%) | 7.25 km | 35 | 27.1 km/h |
| Ferran TORRES | Spain | 10/5 (50%) | 7.24 km | 42 | 31.4 km/h |
| Facundo MEDINA | Argentina | 24/19 (79%) | 7.14 km | 17 | 30.0 km/h |
| Cristian ROMERO | Argentina | 41/37 (90%) | 6.89 km | 15 | 27.5 km/h |
| Emiliano MARTINEZ | Argentina | 57/34 (60%) | 6.81 km | 2 | 25.7 km/h |
| Mikel OYARZABAL | Spain | 17/12 (71%) | 6.63 km | 34 | 27.8 km/h |
| Gonzalo MONTIEL | Argentina | 19/12 (63%) | 6.50 km | 30 | 33.2 km/h |
| Nico WILLIAMS | Spain | 22/21 (95%) | 5.99 km | 36 | 32.4 km/h |
| Nico GONZALEZ | Argentina | 6/5 (83%) | 5.39 km | 34 | 29.7 km/h |
| Lisandro MARTINEZ | Argentina | 26/21 (81%) | 4.27 km | 13 | 26.2 km/h |
| Martin ZUBIMENDI | Spain | 24/22 (92%) | 3.57 km | 7 | 26.4 km/h |
| Marcos SENESI | Argentina | 6/5 (83%) | 2.91 km | 8 | 29.1 km/h |
| Eric GARCIA | Spain | 11/10 (91%) | 2.70 km | — | 25.1 km/h |
Goalkeepers — detailed breakdown
| Goalkeeper | Team | Minutes | Involvements | Shots faced | Save % | Total interventions | Save (retain) | Save (deflect) | Line breaks (distribution) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emiliano MARTINEZ | Argentina | 111 | 81 | 20 | 92% | 11 | 5 | 6 | 28 |
| Unai SIMON | Spain | 111 | 52 | 2 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Source: official FIFA/PMSR match report for the final (Match 104, Spain v Argentina).
Data: official FIFA report (full time) and BBC Sport live coverage. This is the final piece in this series, which followed the tournament from the semifinals through to the decider.