Ferran Torres came off the bench to score an extra-time winner as Spain beat 10-man Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final.


2026 World Cup

1-0

Match Report

Enzo Fernandez was sent off in the third minute of second-half stoppage time, receiving his second yellow card for a dreadful foul on Pau Cubarsi after earlier being booked for dissent.

But Argentina had not offered anything in attack, even with 11 men, with Lionel Messi playing a peripheral role as they became the first team on record to not attempt a single shot in normal time in a World Cup final (since 1966).

Emiliano Martinez made a string of crucial saves both in regulation time and in the additional period, but in the 106th minute, Torres powered into the roof of the net to finally break the champions' resistance. 

Argentina finally came out of their shell at that point, but Giuliano Simeone missed a glorious chance to equalise as Messi fell short of winning a second World Cup.

Spain 1-0 Argentina

One team came out to play football in the World Cup final, and that team eventually won after extra-time.

Spain are the champions. pic.twitter.com/tIySyBivyx

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) July 19, 2026

An early opening for Spain saw Lamine Yamal's effort take a deflection before Martinez adjusted well to make the save, then there was a nervy moment at the other end, with Unai Simon racing 40 yards off his line to sweep up in front of Messi.

That Yamal attempt was the only one in the first 25 minutes, with an extended half-time break perhaps offering more entertainment, via a glitzy show that saw Brazil legends Ronaldo Nazario and Ronaldinho appear alongside Madonna and Shakira.

A flowing Spain move early in the second half saw Nicolas Otamendi forced into a last-ditch challenge on Mikel Oyarzabal, and the Spain pressure continued as Martinez spilled Dani Olmo's drive and held headers from Torres and Aymeric Laporte.

The Argentina goalkeeper also parried piledrivers from Cubarsi and Nico Williams as it remained one-way traffic into stoppage time when Fernandez – who had earlier been cautioned for flailing his arms at referee Slavko Vincic after failing to win a foul – sent Cubarsi sprawling with an awful challenge and was dismissed. 

There were more Martinez heroics right before the full-time whistle as he beat Yamal's free-kick away, but his best save yet came three minutes into extra time as he somehow got a fingertip to Williams' glancing header.

Williams also saw his finish into an unguarded net disallowed for a soft foul on Otamendi by Mikel Merino, who also missed a glaring headed chance soon afterwards.

But one of Luis de la Fuente's substitutions did eventually make the difference, with Torres blasting home left-footed after Williams helped Pedro Porro's deep cross into his path.

Torres had a potential clinching goal disallowed for a marginal offside, then Spanish hearts were in mouths as Simeone blazed over following a half-cleared corner, in Argentina's only real chance to force a penalty shoot-out.

Tempers boiled over at full-time, with Leandro Paredes in the thick of the drama as Argentina's tournament ended on a sour note.

Argentina toothless as Spain repeat 2010 heroics

All the build-up to Sunday's game focused on the matchup between Barcelona's greatest ever player, Messi, and the Blaugrana's current icon, Yamal.

But neither attacking star made their mark as Argentina dug in to stop Spain playing. Across the 900 World Cup matches played since Opta data collection began in 1966, this was only the third instance of a team failing to have a shot in regular time, with the other two being Costa Rica (in 1990 against Brazil and 2022 versus Spain).

2 - All of Argentina's attempts in the FIFA World Cup Final 2026:

116:23 Lionel Messi
121:03 Giuliano Simeone

Nada. pic.twitter.com/HyuyI2z1m6

— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) July 19, 2026

Argentina's task was made all the more difficult by Fernandez's warranted dismissal, and 50% of the red cards shown in World Cup finals have been for the Albiceleste (3/6), who also saw Pedro Monzon and Gustavo Dezotti sent off in the 1990 showpiece.

Their first shot of the match was a Messi volley in the 117th minute, which clattered into Merino's face, and their only other attempt was the golden chance spurned by Simeone.

Spain's numerical advantage did not immediately come to bear, with patience required from De la Fuente's men. Five of the last six World Cup finals have now gone to extra time, which had only occurred four times in the first 17 finals (including Uruguay's de facto final versus Brazil in 1950).

Martinez's 11 saves set a new record by any goalkeeper in a World Cup final, but there was nothing he could do when Torres lashed home. 

Torres' goal mirrored Spain's last World Cup final winner – scored by Andres Iniesta against the Netherlands in 2010 – and made La Roja only the fourth team to win the Euros and the World Cup back-to-back, after Germany (Euro 1972 and 1974 World Cup), France (1998 World Cup and Euro 2000) and Spain themselves (Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup, Euro 2012).

Messi, meanwhile, may well have played in his final World Cup match. He not only did not get his hands on the trophy again, but also finished second in the Golden Boot race, to Kylian Mbappe, who is also now the all-time record holder for World Cup goals (22 to Messi's 21). 

Line-ups

Spain XI: Laporte, Unai Simón, Cucurella, Fabian Ruiz, Oyarzabal, Olmo, Rodri, Álex Baena, Porro, Yamal, Cubarsi

Subs: Grimaldo, Iglesias, Llorente, David Raya, Merino, Ferran Torres, Eric Garcia, Martín Zubimendi, Yeremy, Pedri, Joan García, Nico Williams, Marc Pubill, Gavi, Víctor Muñoz

Argentina XI: Messi, E. Martinez, Tagliafico, De Paul, Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, N. Gonzalez, Mac Allister, Lisandro Martinez, Alvarez, Enzo

Subs: Otamendi, Gerónimo Rulli, Paredes, Musso, Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Lautaro, Marcos Senesi, Molina, Facundo Medina, Thiago Almada, José Manuel López, Giuliano Simeone, Valentín Barco, Nico Paz