And so, we were down to two.
The 2026 World Cup came to a head on Sunday as Spain faced Argentina at the New York New Jersey Stadium. After 103 matches, the summer showpiece event was contested by the European and South American champions.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Spain’s dominance came up against Argentina’s resilience. La Roja’s control enabled the Euro 2024 winners to ease past Portugal and France. The Albiceleste’s never-say-die attitude saw the 2022 champions come from behind to beat Egypt and England to reach the final.
First half
It was Luis de la Fuente’s side that forged the first clear chance of the clash. Lamine Yamal worked his way down the right, though Emiliano Martinez was equal to the winger’s effort.
And in a tense opening half, it took until the 39th minute for the second chance of the World Cup final. Mikel Oyarzabal’s low drive was dealt with easily enough by Martinez. Marc Cucurella dragged an effort wide as Spain sought to take the initiative shortly before the break.
Argentine centre-back Lisandro Martinez was forced off moments later in a defining moment of Sunday’s showdown. Nicolas Otamendi came on to replace the Manchester United man, forcing a change in approach for Scaloni’s men.
Second half
Leandro Paredes was introduced at the break to give Argentina more control in the middle of the park having been overwhelmed by Spain in the opening 45 minutes. Paredes was involved almost immediately as he played the ball straight to Oyarzabal.
The Real Sociedad man played in for Alex Baena, whose shot was easily saved by Martinez as Paredes breathed a sigh of relief. Booked minutes later, it was a less-than impressive introduction by the 32-year-old.
Spain continued to knock on the Argentina door as Martinez spilled a Dani Olmo drive away for a corner midway through the second half. The Aston Villa man fared better to hold a close Ferran Torres header shortly before the hydration break.
Cristian Romero was withdrawn while De la Fuente threw Mikel Merino and Nico Williams into the fold in a bid to find the breakthrough. Pedri’s effort bobbled into Martinez’s hands, while Pau Cubarsi failed to get the better of the Argentine shotstopper from range.
Aymeric Laporte, Ferran Torres and Rodri all chanced their luck as the minutes ticked towards the 90 but failed to hit the back of the net. Williams wasted a decent counter-attacking chance before Enzo Fernandez saw red for a second-yellow. Yamal saw a late free-kick turned behind for a corner as the 2026 World Cup final went to extra time.
Extra time
Shortly after the restart and Martinez was called into action again to palm a Williams header away from danger. The Athletic Club man finally had the ball in the back of the net moments later but it was ruled out for a supposed foul by Merino on Otamendi.
Merino then flashed a header just wide as Spain looked to struggle to capitalise upon their dominance. Less than a minute into the second half of extra time, and Spain found the breakthrough as Ferran rifled past Martinez following a brilliant header by Williams.
The Barcelona star then added his and his nation’s second with 113 minutes on the clock, only to be flagged for offside following a fine Yamal pass. Argentina twice came close to an unlikely equaliser in the dying embers, with Simeone blazing over from close range in stoppage time, as Spain held out for a second World Cup success.
Rodri’s dominance key for Spain
Rodri came into the World Cup on the back of some unjust criticism. The Manchester City man had his doubters. He proved them wrong, and then some. Rodri was Spain’s tempo setter in North America, and he controlled proceedings all the way until his extra time withdrawal.
Only Pau Cubarsi (121) made more accurate passes than Rodri (101) in the World Cup final. For context, Leandro Paredes (36) made the most of all Argentina midfielders. The City star absolutely dominated in the middle of the park.
It’s par for course for Rodri this summer who was instrumental to Spain’s success. He, perhaps more than anyone, deserved to win the World Cup.
Poor Paredes costs Argentina
On the other side of the coin, Lionel Scaloni watched his Argentina side struggle with Spain at the New York New Jersey Stadium. And he looked to gain a semblance of control with the half-time introduction of Leandro Paredes.
The 32-year-old was surprisingly dropped for the World Cup final despite anchoring the team in wins over Egypt, Switzerland and England. Yet Paredes endured a cameo to forget.
Argentina looked worse for his substitution as he failed to gain a foothold in the game. Paredes was at fault for Alex Baena’s early second-half effort, inadvertently giving the ball to Mikel Oyarzabal. He was carded moments later. And he lost his head at full-time, culminating in a post-match dismissal.
Williams introduction stretched beleaguered Argentina
A starting winger at Euro 2024, Nico Williams was injured in the lead up to the World Cup. He lost his spot to Alex Baena as a result. Luis de la Fuente, though, frequently turned to Williams to stretch opponents.
The Athletic Club man may have struggled to assert his dominance but was vital off the bench. It was Williams who provided the assist for Ferran’s winner, that coming from one of two chances created. He managed three shots and completed one take on.
As Argentina sat deeper, all the more so after going down to 10 men, Williams was one of the Spain stars to capitalise on the space. Unlike Paredes, his was a fine cameo.
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