Spain are world champions. Ferran Torres, on as a substitute, scored the only goal of the 2026 World Cup final in the 106th minute, beating holders Argentina 1–0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium. It is Spain’s second World Cup, sixteen years after their first, and it was won the way their whole tournament was built: control the ball, concede almost nothing, and wait.
A final that waited until extra time
For 90 minutes the game gave nothing away. Spain dominated possession as they had all tournament, Argentina defended their box and picked their moments, and only once before, at USA 1994, had a World Cup final reached the end of normal time goalless. History repeated itself, and then Torres settled it: the substitute finishing in the 106th minute for the game’s only real reward.
For Argentina, the holders, it was the narrowest of endings to a tournament in which they never made anything easy for themselves — and never looked like stopping either. For Lionel Messi, at his sixth World Cup, it was a final defeat to close an international career that still finished with the runner-up medal, eight goals, and second place on the all-time World Cup scoring list.
How Spain won the 2026 World Cup
Spain’s road ran through a group they topped without conceding a knockout-calibre punch — 0–0 with Cape Verde, 4–0 over Saudi Arabia, 1–0 over Uruguay — and then a knockout run of ruthless economy: 3–0 against Austria, 1–0 against Portugal, 2–1 against Belgium and a 2–0 semi-final dismantling of France. One goal conceded across those first four knockout ties tells you what carried them: the meanest defence in the competition, with Mikel Oyarzabal’s five goals leading a shared-around attack.
Argentina’s hard road
Argentina won their group with three wins, then went to the wire in almost every round: extra time to shake off Cape Verde in the round of 32, a 3–2 classic against Egypt, extra time again against Switzerland in the quarter-finals, and a 2–1 semi-final win over England. Messi’s eight goals and four assists dragged them through the knockouts, and they reached the final having trailed for barely a moment of it — until the one goal that mattered.
The records the final left behind
| What | Who | The number |
|---|---|---|
| World Cup winners | Spain | Second title (2010, 2026) |
| Golden Boot | Kylian Mbappé (France) | 10 goals |
| All-time World Cup top scorer | Kylian Mbappé | 22 goals, passing Miroslav Klose’s 16 |
| Second all-time | Lionel Messi (Argentina) | 21 goals across six World Cups |
| Third place | England | Beat France 6–4 |
Kylian Mbappé’s 10 goals won the Golden Boot and made him the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer, while England took third in a 6–4 game against France that will be replayed on highlight reels for years. The full final standings and how every contender fared are on our World Cup 2026 winner page.
The tournament Canada hosted — and the one it played
The first 48-team World Cup was staged across Canada, the United States and Mexico, with Toronto’s BMO Field and Vancouver’s BC Place staging games all the way through the group stage and knockouts. Canada’s own tournament became the best in the country’s men’s history: a first-ever World Cup win (6–0 over Qatar, with a Jonathan David hat-trick), a first knockout victory (1–0 over South Africa, Stephen Eustáquio in stoppage time) and a run to the round of 16 before Morocco ended it. For a soccer nation that had never won a World Cup match before this summer, the bar has moved.
World Cup 2026 final FAQs
Who won the 2026 World Cup final?
Spain, beating Argentina 1–0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, 2026. Substitute Ferran Torres scored the winner in the 106th minute.
Was the final goalless after 90 minutes?
Yes. It was only the second World Cup final to finish normal time 0–0, after USA 1994 — the last time the tournament was staged in North America.
Who won the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup?
Kylian Mbappé, with 10 goals for France, who finished fourth. He also became the all-time World Cup top scorer on 22, passing Miroslav Klose. The final Golden Boot standings have the full top 20.
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