Spain Wins 2026 World Cup 1-0 Against 10-Man Argentina in Extra Time

Spain has beaten Argentina 1-0 to win the 2026 World Cup, with Ferran Torres coming off the bench to score the winner in extra time against 10-man Argentina.

Torres's goal came at the start of the second period of extra time, after a furiously tense final at the New York/New Jersey stadium in Meadowlands ended goalless after 90 minutes.

The win gives Spain its second men's World Cup title, echoing the extra-time goal by Andrés Iniesta in 2010 that led to its first title.

And it is impossible to say the European champion didn't deserve it.

Enzo Fernández was sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time at the end of normal time, clattering into young player of the tournament Pau Cubarsí with an ugly challenge that sent the 19-year-old star flying.

The 10 men of Argentina could not hang on against the increasingly relentless attack of the Spanish.

Fernández's first yellow card was for dissent just 11 minutes earlier, one of six bookings the Argentines received in the game.

He became the sixth player in history to be sent off in a World Cup final. Argentina account for half of those dismissals, with Pedro Monzón and Gustavo Dezotti both sent off in the 1990 decider.

Spain made all the running in today's game, with Argentina failing to have a single shot in the opening 90 minutes of the contest.

The level of Spain's dominance can be illustrated by the fact it completed 235 passes in the final third of the pitch, while Argentina completed just 47.

By the time the referee blew full time at the end of normal time, Spain had 15 total shots, 10 of them on target.

Emi Martínez was by far the more active of the goalkeepers, making a series of stops to deny Lamine Yamal from a free kick and a glancing header from Nico Williams.

But he could do nothing to stop Torres's strike just 37 seconds into the final 15-minute period of extra time.

That was Spain's 20th attempt on goal in the match and, up until then, Argentina had offered none.

After going behind, the defending champion attempted to bring some pressure, with Lionel Messi fashioning chances from the right as Spain sat back and defended.

But even the Argentine magician could not conjure a late miracle, with Argentina only finishing with two attempts at goal for the game, the first of which came 26 minutes into extra time, a woeful return when the trophy was on the line.

Argentina was far more intent on niggly fouls than playing football, its 25 fouls the most in a World Cup game since their 2022 victory in the final against France.

After full time, Leandro Paredes disgraced himself by starting a scuffle with celebrating Spanish players, the 32-year-old shown a post-match red card.

The scrappy game was not helped by a 27-minute half time break, the longest at a World Cup, to accommodate an underwhelming and poorly received Super Bowl-style show.

US President Donald Trump presented the trophy to the victors, hovering awkwardly at the side of the stage as Spain captain and player of the tournament Rodri lifted the trophy.