The Spanish... "Kings of the World"

East Rutherford – AFP – Spain claimed the World Cup title for the second time in their history, following their 2010 triumph, after defeating Argentina and its star Lionel Messi 1-0 after extra time. The final took place on Monday in New Jersey, as part of the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

After two extra periods and the sending-off of Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández for receiving a second yellow card (90+3), substitute Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the 106th minute, denying Argentina a fourth title after their wins in 1978, 1986, and 2022.

Spain replicated their 2010 achievement in South Africa, when they needed extra time to beat the Netherlands thanks to a goal by Andrés Iniesta. They prevented Argentina from equalling the record holders, Brazil, who have five titles, and the European nations Germany and Italy, who each have four.

In an unprecedented final between the champions of Europe and Copa América, attended by US President Donald Trump, and with Argentine fans filling the MetLife Stadium with their traditional chants, the "La Roja" national team managed to stifle the fervor of Messi and his teammates. This intensity was evident from the moment the national anthem was played loudly and enthusiastically, and from the warm embrace between the legend known as "The Flea" and all his teammates before kickoff.

"La Roja," whose supporters were far fewer than their Latin American counterparts, excelled on all fronts and was not intimidated by the aggressive interventions of the Argentines, which came at a high cost: the sending-off of Chelsea midfielder Fernández, who had played a crucial role in two knockout matches before becoming a nightmare.

Even Messi did not perform at his usual level and was largely absent from the match, as his team failed to create a single scoring opportunity. Consequently, he failed to extend his lead over Frenchman Kylian Mbappé in the race for the Golden Boot (8 vs. 10), as he had done in 2022, nor did he seize the title of all-time top scorer in World Cup finals, finishing just one goal behind the Spanish Real Madrid striker (21 vs. 22).

Messi settled for two new records: at 39 years and 25 days old, he became the oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup final, surpassing the previous record set by Swede Gunnar Gren against Brazil in 1958 at the age of 37 years and 241 days. He also became the first player to start in three World Cup finals, counting the 2014 final lost to Germany and the 2022 victory over France (Brazilian Cafu appeared in three finals, one as a substitute in 1994).

Meanwhile, as usual, Spain was the team with more possession and created more chances in the first half, coming close to scoring on several occasions. They were led by promising players, including Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí, who became the fourth and fifth youngest players to feature in a World Cup final after Brazil's Pelé, Italian Giuseppe Bergomi, and Frenchman Kylian Mbappé.

"La Roja" was not affected by the large Argentine crowd and handled the match with calm and focus, imposing their rhythm and creating opportunities from various angles.

Spain fielded the same lineup that had eliminated France in the semi-final, while Argentina's coach made three changes to the team that had overturned the table against England (2-1), bringing on Gonzalo Montiel, Nico González, and Rodrigo De Paul for Nahuel Molina, Leandro Paredes, and Julián Álvarez.

All-time top scorers in the World Cup: Frenchman Kylian Mbappé (22 goals in 22 matches, since 2018).