La Spain is world champion for the second time in its historyLa Roja beats Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final thanks to the goal by Ferran Torres in the second half of extra time and capped an extraordinary tournament with the most prestigious triumph. At MetLife Stadium in New York, Luis de la Fuente's team dominated the match for long stretches, forcing the Albiceleste onto the defensive and finally finding the prize after over 100 minutes of siege. An evening to forget for Lionel Messi instead, practically never a protagonist, while Argentina finished with ten men following the expulsion of Enzo Fernández.
Spain dominates, Ferran Torres decides the final
For over an hour the final was a monologue of SpainAfter a tense first half with few opportunities, La Roja took complete control of the game in the second half, consistently occupying the Argentine half and forcing Scaloni's men into a long defensive phase.
The statistic that best describes the Albiceleste's performance is merciless: zero shots in the 90 minutes of regulation time. Messi remained on the sidelines, never finding the space to create or lead the counterattacks of the defending world champions, who appeared tired and unable to relieve the pressure.
To further complicate the situation, at the end of regulation time, theexpulsion of Enzo Fernández for a second yellow card after a foul on Cubarsí. Forced to play extra time with ten men, Argentina tried once again to resist, but the wall collapsed in the first minute of the second half of extra time, when Ferran Torres scored the goal who delivered the World Cup to Spain.
The first Halftime Show in the history of the World Cup
The New York final will also go down in history for another absolute first. For the first time, a World Cup final hosted a real Super Bowl style halftime show, with an exceptionally long interval at 27 minutes and 22 seconds to allow for the set-up and dismantling of the stage in the center of MetLife Stadium.
Some of the biggest names in international music took to the stage, including Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, and BTS, while Jennifer Hudson performed the US national anthem before kickoff. An unprecedented spectacle that transformed the World Cup final into a global event, combining sport, music, and entertainment in front of over a billion viewers.
