Spain added World Cup 2026 to their Euro 2024 triumph after they beat holders Argentina in the final thanks to a 106th minute strike from substitute Ferran Torres.
Spain were deserved winners, dominating the match from start to finish to overcome the defending champions to lift their second ever World Cup trophy, following their success in 2010.
The final was far from a classic, but it did produce a collection of interesting statistics, milestones, and records, which you can read about below in the World Cup stats you might see have missed from Spain’s 1-0 win against Argentina.
World Cup Final stats you might have missed from Spain vs Argentina
Superb Spain set new record
- Spain have set a new European record of 38 games unbeaten.
Spain’s 1-0 win over Argentina stretched their unbeaten streak to 38 matches (excluding penalty shoot-outs) in all competitions.
This remarkable run is a new European record after it eclipsed Italy’s 37 game undefeated streak, which was set between 2018 and 2021.
La Roja are now unbeaten in their last 16 matches at major tournaments, losing just one of their last 29 matches at major tournaments (W18 D10), while they haven’t been beaten in any capacity since a defeat to Colombia back in March 2024.
De la Fuente still unbeaten
- Spain manager Luis de la Fuente extended his own unbeaten record at major tournaments to 15 matches.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente became the oldest manager to win the World Cup, aged 65 years and 29 days old.
The triumph saw De la Fuente prolong his unbeaten streak at major tournaments, having led La Roja through his 15 matches across the European Championship and World Cup without tasting defeat once.
De la Fuente inspired Spain to Euro 2024 glory with a seven-game unbeaten run and has now overseen eight unbeaten matches en route to winning the 2026 World Cup. The only side he’s not beaten during this run is Cape Verde!
In total, the 65-year-old has overseen 50 matches in charge of the national team, which consists of 38 wins, 10 draws, and just two defeats.
Spain’s double double
- Spain are the first country to win the European Championship and World Cup back-to-back on two different occasions.
Spain were successful in their pursuit of back-to-back major tournament wins after they added the 2026 World Cup to their Euro 2024 success.
La Roja have, of course, accomplished this feat before when they won World Cup 2010 between Euro 2008 and Euro 2012.
The only other countries to do this are West Germany (Euro 1972 & World Cup 1974) and France (World Cup 1998 & Euro 2000).
So, Spain have now become the only country to do this double twice.
Refusing to lose
- Five players in Spain’s squad have yet to lose at a major tournament, including Fabian Ruiz who has never lost in any capacity in a Spain shirt (50 games).
Spain have five players in their squad who have each yet to lose a single game at a major tournament: Aymeric Laporte (23), Mikel Oyarzabal (21), Fabian Ruiz (17), Lamine Yamal (15), and Mikel Merino (15).
Of those, Ruiz is yet to lose a match for his country in any capacity, a stunning streak which he extended to 50 matches in the World Cup Final. The PSG also became only the 10th player to win the Champions League and World Cup in the same season.
The red wall
- Argentina became the first side to fail to have a single shot on target in a World Cup final, while Spain conceded just 10 shots on target all tournament.
Spain dominated the final with 65.1% possession and 20 shots, 12 of which were on target.
A toothless Argentina barely mustered an attack, attempting just two shots – the first of which came in the 117th minute – and failed to get one on target during the whole game. They are the only side in history to fail to have a shot on target in a World Cup final.
In fact, Spain only had 10 shots on target against them all tournament, which is less than the 12 shots on target that Argentina conceded in the final!
Simon’s shutout(s)
- Unai Simon kept seven clean sheets in eight games – and conceded only one goal – en route to winning the World Cup and Golden Glove double.
Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon capped a remarkable tournament by winning both the World Cup and the Golden Glove, keeping seven clean sheets in eight matches.
As mentioned, Argentina failed to register a single shot on target in the final, allowing Simon to register a record-extending seventh clean sheet at a single World Cup.
He remarkably only conceded one goal all tournament, which is also a new record, while Spain didn’t trail for a single second of any match.
Rodri’s passing masterclass
- Golden Ball winner Rodri set a new record for most passes (756) completed at a World Cup.
Rodri won the Golden Ball award following a simply superb tournament in the middle of the park for Spain.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner set a new World Cup record of 756 completed passes from his 811 attempts throughout the tournament – 101 of which came in the final – which bettered his own previous record of 638 at the 2022 World Cup.
Rodri also finished the tournament with the most touches (910), final third passes completed (204), and tackles (26).
Super sub
- Spain’s Ferran Torres become only the second substitute to score the winner in a World Cup final after Germany’s Mario Gotze in 2014.
There have only been two instances of a player coming off the bench to score the winner in a World Cup final, both of which happened in games against Argentina.
The first came in 2014 when substitute Mario Gotze netted an extra-time winner for Germany against Argentina.
12 years later and Ferran Torres came off the bench to score an extra-time winner for Spain against Argentina.
Final record
- Spain won their sixth major tournament final in seven attempts.
Spain have now won six of their seven finals at major tournaments.
La Roja are two wins from two at the World Cup (2010 and 2026), and are four from five at the European Championship following their success in 1964, 2008, 2012, and most recently Euro 2024.
The only final Spain have ever lost came 42 years ago at Euro 1984 when they lost 2-0 to France.
Young gun
- Lamine Yamal became the first teenager to win the World Cup and European Championship, and the joint-fourth-youngest player to win the World Cup (aged 19 years old and six days).
What a career Lamine Yamal is having. The Spaniard only just turned 19 yet he’s already won Euro 2024 and World Cup 2026; the first teenager to win both.
Aged 19 and six days on the day of the World Cup final win over Argentina, Yamal become the fourth youngest player to lift the trophy after Pele (17 years and 249 days), Ronaldo (17 years and 298 days), and Giuseppe Bergomi (18 years and 174 days).
Streak over
- Argentina failed to win a game of football for the first time in 15 matches in all competitions.
Argentina headed into the game looking to win their 15th game on the spin, which would have broken the all-time record winning run by a South American country.
They ultimately came up short, losing for the first time since a 1-0 defeat to Ecuador in September, while this was their first defeat at a World Cup since losing to Saudi Arabia in the opening game of the 2022 tournament.
No.1 ranked team curse
- Since the FIFA World Rankings were introduced in 1992, no country has gone on to win the World Cup after entering the tournament as the world’s No. 1-ranked team.
Argentina’s defeat to Spain ensured one of the World Cup’s most enduring statistical quirks remained intact.
Despite arriving at the 2026 tournament as the world’s top-ranked nation, the reigning champions fell 1-0 in the final. That means no country has ever won the World Cup after starting the tournament as the No. 1-ranked side, since the FIFA World Rankings were introduced in 1992.
The bridesmaids
- No country has more runners-up finishes at a World Cup than Argentina (4).
Argentina fell short in their pursuit of a fourth World Cup trophy, instead setting a new joint record of most finals lost.
The loss was Argentina’s fourth World Cup final defeat (1930, 1990, 2014 & 2026), a record they share with Germany.
Messi subdued
- Lionel Messi failed to create a single chance for the first time in a World Cup match.
On the whole Lionel Messi enjoyed a superb tournament, during which he scored eight goals and registered four assists. Only Kylian Mbappe scored more goals (10) and only Michael Olise claimed more assists (7).
The final added another chapter to Messi’s World Cup legacy, as he became just the second player to feature in three finals and the second-oldest player to appear in the showpiece match, behind Italy legend Dino Zoff.
However, just like in 2014, he was left devastated after Argentina conceded an extra-time goal.
Despite his outstanding tournament overall, Messi struggled in the final, failing to create a single chance in a World Cup match for the first time in his career.
Seeing red
- 50% of players to be sent off in a World Cup final have been Argentinian.
Enzo Fernandez became the sixth player to be sent off in a World Cup final after the midfielder was shown red for Argentina in the 93rd minute following a second yellow card.
Three of those red cards have been shown to Argentina players, who make up 50% of the red cards in World Cup finals.
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