Spain won its second FIFA World Cup title on Sunday, defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra time in a final that likely marked the end of Lionel Messi’s World Cup career.
Substitute Ferran Torres scored the winning goal 39 seconds into the second half of extra time at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, finishing a close-range effort past Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez. The goal came after Argentina had been reduced to 10 men when Enzo Fernández was sent off for a second bookable offense in second-half stoppage time.
Spain dominated the match from start to finish, finishing with 20 shots and an expected-goals tally of 1.94 compared to Argentina’s two shots and 0.2 expected goals. Martínez kept the score close with 11 saves, a World Cup final record, before finally being beaten in extra time.
Messi, playing what he has indicated will be his final World Cup, managed only 15 touches in the match, well below Spain teenage winger Lamine Yamal’s 26. His best opportunity came in the fifth minute when a pass from Julián Álvarez sent him through on goal, but Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón got to the ball first. Argentina did not register a shot in the first half and had no touches inside Spain’s penalty area.
The win completed an undefeated tournament run for Spain, coached by Luis de la Fuente, and made them the first side to concede just one goal across an entire World Cup. It is Spain’s second World Cup title, 16 years after their first triumph in 2010, and comes on the heels of the team’s European Championship success.
For Argentina, the loss ends manager Lionel Scaloni’s bid to become the first team to win four straight major tournaments, following Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024 and the 2022 World Cup crown. No team has won back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, meaning Spain will instead have the chance to attempt that feat in 2030.
The final capped an 11-minute halftime show featuring Shakira performing the tournament’s official anthem “Dai Dai” alongside Burna Boy, with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, BTS and Justin Bieber joining a Staten Island public school choir for the closing performance.
Spain’s road to the title included a 2-0 semifinal win over France, in which Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro scored, and began with a group-stage draw against tournament debutants Cape Verde. Argentina reached the final by edging England 2-1 in their semifinal.
