Spain are world champions for the second time. Ferran Torres struck in extra time at the New York New Jersey Stadium to settle a final Spain had controlled for the best part of two hours, beating Argentina 1-0 and ending the holders’ reign in front of 82,000 people in East Rutherford.
The parallel with 2010 was impossible to miss. Sixteen years ago in Johannesburg, Spain won their first World Cup 1-0 in extra time through Andres Iniesta. On Sunday they did it again — same scoreline, same stage of the game, same suffocating command of possession that eventually forced the mistake they needed.
Torres finished from eight yards in the 104th minute after Lamine Yamal cut inside from the right and dragged Argentina’s back line across the box. Nicolas Otamendi stepped out, the cutback found the gap he vacated, and the Barcelona forward swept it past Emiliano Martinez with his first clean sight of goal in more than an hour on the pitch.
Spain’s control never wavered
The numbers reflected what the eye saw. Spain finished with 68% possession, 21 shots to Argentina’s seven, and completed more passes in the final third than Argentina managed in the match overall. Rodri and Pedri took turns dictating tempo from deep, and Argentina — who had pressed France and Brazil aggressively earlier in the tournament — retreated into a low block by the half-hour mark and stayed there.
Martinez was the reason it stayed goalless for so long. He turned Nico Williams’ near-post drive over the bar in the 38th minute, saved low from Mikel Merino before the break, and produced the save of the final in the 71st minute, getting a strong left hand to Yamal’s curling effort from the edge of the D. Argentina’s clearest opening fell to Julian Alvarez in the 63rd minute, but Unai Simon narrowed the angle well and the shot skidded wide.
Lionel Messi, at 39, played 90 minutes before being withdrawn at the start of extra time. He touched the ball 41 times, fewer than any outfield starter for either side, and spent much of the second half dropping into midfield to try to find possession that rarely arrived. His final act in a World Cup final was a free-kick from 25 yards that cleared the crossbar.
What this generation has built
This is Spain’s fourth major trophy in a golden run that now stretches across two eras. Euro 2024, the Nations League, and now a second world title — achieved with a squad whose average age was 26.4, the youngest of any finalist since 1966.
The contrast with 2010 matters. That side was built on Barcelona’s tiki-taka core and won through patience bordering on attrition, scoring eight goals in seven matches. This one scored 16 en route to the final and did it with width and directness that the 2010 vintage never had. Yamal, 18, ends the tournament with three goals and five assists. Williams caused problems on the left all night. The possession is still there, but it is now a platform for speed rather than an end in itself.
- Spain’s second World Cup, after 2010 — joining Argentina, Uruguay and France on two or more titles
- Ferran Torres becomes the fourth Spaniard to score in a World Cup final
- Argentina become the sixth defending champions to lose a final since 1958
- Spain conceded four goals in seven matches, the joint-fewest of any 2026 side
Where both sides go from here
Argentina now face the transition they have delayed for a decade. Messi has said this was his last World Cup, and Angel Di Maria retired from international football after the 2024 Copa America. Otamendi is 38. Lisandro Martinez, Alexis Mac Allister and Alvarez form a credible spine for 2030, but the identity that carried Argentina from Qatar to New Jersey was inseparable from the player who defined it, and rebuilding around his absence is a different project from managing his decline.
Spain have no such problem. Yamal will be 22 at the 2030 World Cup. Pedri will be 27. Barring injury, the core of this team can reasonably expect to contest Euro 2028 on home-adjacent soil and a title defence four years from now — the kind of runway that turns a winning side into a dominant one.
The 2010 team never defended its crown, going out in the group stage in Brazil four years later. That failure is the reference point Spain will be measured against now. On Sunday’s evidence, it is not the obvious outcome.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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