Spain defeat Argentina 1–0 in extra time to win 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup

The GIST: Just over five weeks and 104 games later, Spain are your 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup (WC) champions, winning the biggest-ever edition by defeating defending champion Argentina 1–0 in extra time yesterday. Here’s how it went down — vamos.

💪 Spain outshoots and outlasts Argentina: La Roja showcased their trademark possession style of play in the final, holding the ball for 68% of the game and connecting 803 passes to Argentina's 445. But despite Spain’s dominance, the match remained scoreless through regular time and the first half of extra time. Finally, Spanish substitute Ferran Torres struck gold in the 106th minute.

• In the end, this match came down to scoring opportunities: While Spain took 20 shots across 120 minutes, Argentina registered just two shots — and their first came at the 117th minute.

• Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez’s heroics kept La Albiceleste’s hopes alive, but back-to-back WCs were not in the cards for Lionel Messi’s side after a run filled with late-game heroics.

☝️ One golden thing: Compared to the relatively snoozy final, Saturday’s third-place game between England and France was a barnburner. England won 6–4, but Frenchman Kylian Mbappé notched two goals, making him both the Golden Boot winner (10 goals this tourney) as well as earning him the all-time WC goal scoring record (22 goals). Sheesh.

⏩ Looking ahead: The largest-ever 48-team WC shattered viewership records around the world, particularly in North America, a trend that will likely continue when the official numbers from the final weekend are in. There’s a clear appetite for international soccer this side of the Atlantic, a fantastic sign ahead of next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. LFG.