EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Diya TV) – Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final, claiming Spain’s second World Cup title.
The final brought together the tournament’s top two ranked teams, with reigning European champions Spain facing defending World Cup champions Argentina at MetLife Stadium.
The overall gameplay was aggressive, with Spain committing a total of 13 fouls and Argentina 25. Over the course of the match, Argentina picked up 4 yellow cards: Lisandro Martínez for fouling Mikel Oyarzabal, Enzo Fernández for faking a foul, Leandro Paredes for fouling Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, and Alexis Mac Allister for fouling Lamine Yamal. Several physical incidents still went unpunished, including when Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister was not given a card after tackling Dani Olmo, leaving Spain frustrated that the referee did not intervene.
For the entirety of the first half, Spain and Argentina remained at 0-0. Spain controlled the game early, with attempted goals from Lamine Yamal in the 4th minute, Mikel Oyarzabal in the 39th minute, and Marc Cucurella in the 43rd minute, all of which were blocked by Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez. Argentina failed to attempt a single goal in the first half.
At halftime, fans watched the first-ever halftime show of the FIFA World Cup. Curated by Chris Martin, this 11-minute performance featured Madonna, BTS, and Justin Bieber, followed by Shakira and Burna Boy performing “Dai Dai,” the official tournament anthem. The show closed with the children’s choir joining the stage, ending the vibrant performance with a theme of love and unity.
Spain continued to control the match in the second half, attempting 9 more shots. However, every shot was saved by Argentina’s Emiliano Martínez, who set a new record for the number of saves in a World Cup final. Martinez’s biggest save came in the last few seconds of the second half, when he stopped a free kick from Spain’s Lamine Yamal to send the match to extra time. Argentina finished 90 minutes without a single shot on goal, becoming the first team to do so in a World Cup final.
With the match still scoreless after 90 minutes, the game became intense. Argentina’s Enzo Fernández’s second yellow card earned him a red card in stoppage time, leaving Argentina to play extra time with one less player. Just before the 100th minute, Spain scored, but the goal was disallowed after Spain’s Mikel Merino fouled Nicolás Otamendi prior to scoring. In the 106th minute, Spain’s Ferran Torres, assisted by Nico Williams, finally scored the goal that won Spain the match. Later on, Torres scored again, but his goal was ruled out for offside. Spain finished the match with 20 attempted shots to Argentina’s 2, winning with a final score of 1-0.
This marks Spain’s second World Cup title, and first since 2010.
