Spain Wins 2026 World Cup on Substitute's Extra-Time Goal Against Argentina

Spain has been crowned the 2026 World Cup champion, defeating Argentina 1-0 in a final held at the New York/New Jersey stadium. The decisive goal came from Ferrán Torres, a player who entered the match as a substitute. This victory adds a unique historical footnote: it is the second time in World Cup finals history that a team has won with a goal scored in extra time by a player coming off the bench, and both instances were against Argentina.

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Spain is the new world champion. They defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final that took place at the New York/New Jersey stadium.

The regulation 90 minutes between Spain and Argentina concluded scoreless, with the European side dominating possession and creating more scoring opportunities. As extra time began, Spain held a numerical advantage following the expulsion of Argentina's Enzo Fernández for a second yellow card. In the second period of extra time, Ferrán Torres, who had replaced Mikel Oyarzabal in the 72nd minute, scored just 38 seconds into the period, securing Spain's title.

This scenario echoes the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil, where Germany also defeated Argentina 1-0 with an extra-time goal from substitute Mario Götze. Götze, who came on in the 88th minute, scored in the 113th minute. While the 2014 match saw more parity in regular time, Argentina was unable to equalize after Götze's goal.

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This is the second time in the history of the World Cups that a team wins a final with a goal in extra time with players who came from the bench. Just both were against Argentina.

Several notable statistics emerged from the 2026 final. Spain conceded only one goal throughout the tournament, the lowest ever for a World Cup-winning team. They also extended their unbeaten streak to 38 matches across all competitions, a record for European or South American national teams. Argentina, meanwhile, finished as World Cup runner-up for the fourth time, matching Germany's record. Notably, Argentina was the first team in a World Cup final to not register a single shot on target in the first 90 minutes, with their first attempt coming in the 117th minute from Lionel Messi. Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez made 11 saves, the most recorded for a goalkeeper in a World Cup final since 1966.

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Argentina has finished as FIFA World Cup runner-up for the fourth time (also in 1930, 1990, and 2014), the most joint amount of any national team, along with Germany.