Spain won the 2026 FIFA World Cup, beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final on Sunday, 19 July 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It's Spain's second World Cup title, 16 years after their first in 2010, and makes them the first nation ever to hold the men's and women's World Cup titles at the same time — Spain's women are still the reigning world champions from 2023.

The final: how Spain won it

A tight, defensively disciplined final was goalless through 90 minutes and the first 15-minute period of extra time. Ferran Torres settled it 39 seconds into the second period of extra time — the 106th minute — converting a sharp half-volley inside the box for the only goal of the game. Spain dominated territory and chances throughout, outshooting Argentina 20-3 across the 120 minutes.

Argentina's task got even harder late on: midfielder Enzo Fernández was shown a second yellow card — for a dangerous tackle on Spain defender Pau Cubarsí, having already been cautioned for dissent — in the third minute of second-half stoppage time, meaning Argentina played the closing stages of normal time and all 30 minutes of extra time with ten men. He became only the sixth player in World Cup history to be sent off in a final.

Spain's captain Rodri lifted the trophy after marshalling the midfield throughout the tournament, while Argentina and Lionel Messi were left to reflect on a final defeat that ended their bid for back-to-back titles after winning in Qatar in 2022.

How Spain and Argentina reached the final

Spain won Group H (two wins, one draw) before eliminating Austria in the Round of 32, Portugal in the Round of 16, Belgium in the quarter-finals, and France 2-0 in the semi-final. Argentina won Group J with three straight victories, then beat Cape Verde in the Round of 32, Egypt in the Round of 16, Switzerland in the quarter-finals, and edged England 2-1 in the semi-final with two late goals.

Spain's run was historic in its own right: no team had ever won the World Cup while conceding just a single goal across the whole tournament — and Spain did it over a record eight matches, one more than any previous champion had to play, a direct result of the newly expanded format. For the full bracket, see our World Cup 2026 knockout stage guide.

Every award winner

Award	Winner
Golden Ball (Best Player)	Rodri (Spain)
Silver Ball	Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Bronze Ball	Kylian Mbappé (France)
Golden Boot (Top Scorer)	Kylian Mbappé — 10 goals
Golden Glove (Best Goalkeeper)	Unai Simón (Spain) — 1 goal conceded, 7 clean sheets in 8 games
Best Young Player	Pau Cubarsí (Spain), age 19

Mbappé became the first player in men's World Cup history to win back-to-back Golden Boots, having also topped the scoring charts at Qatar 2022. Adding his 10 goals in 2026 to 8 in 2022 and 4 in 2018 takes his career World Cup tally to 22 goals — overtaking Miroslav Klose's long-standing record of 16 (2002–2014) to make Mbappé the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, at just 27 years old.

Messi actually led the Golden Boot race for most of the tournament, including a hat-trick in Argentina's opening group match, before Mbappé overtook him in the closing rounds to finish on 10 goals to Messi's 8. If the race for the Golden Boot had finished level, FIFA's tiebreaker order is: fewest assists loses ties on goals first, then fewest minutes played, then fewest penalties scored — but with a two-goal gap, no tiebreaker was needed this time. Cubarsí's Best Young Player award was also a first: no defender had previously won the prize since FIFA introduced its current format in 2006.

Records this World Cup broke

• Most goals ever scored: 308 goals across the tournament, breaking the previous record of 172 set at Qatar 2022 — the milestone fell during a Group D match between the United States and Turkey.
• Most-watched soccer telecast in US history: FOX's English-language broadcast of the final averaged 38.9 million viewers, peaking at 51.7 million as Spain sealed the win; Telemundo and Peacock's Spanish-language coverage added another 23.9 million, pushing the cross-platform total past 66 million — the biggest non-NFL American television audience since the 1994 Winter Olympics.
• Most-watched World Cup overall in the US: the tournament averaged 7.7 million viewers per match across FOX, FS1 and Tubi — up 116% on 2022 and 179% on 2018.
• Attendance: more than 6 million fans attended matches across the 104-game tournament, a World Cup record.
• Spain's defensive record: champions while conceding just one goal in eight matches — no previous winner has matched that.

A bigger tournament: 48 teams for the first time

The 2026 World Cup was the first with 48 teams, up from 32 at every tournament since 1998, split into 12 groups of four. The top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed sides advanced to a brand-new Round of 32 — an extra knockout round that didn't exist under the old 32-team format. Co-hosts United States, Mexico and Canada staged all 104 matches across 16 stadiums in 16 cities, from Vancouver and Toronto in Canada to Guadalajara and Mexico City in Mexico and coast-to-coast US venues including MetLife Stadium, AT&T Stadium and SoFi Stadium. For the full breakdown of how the expanded bracket worked, see our World Cup 2026 format guide and our final group standings recap.

What it means for Messi

A runner-up medal and a Silver Ball still cemented Messi's tournament as one of the finest of his career even in defeat — his hat-trick in the opening group game briefly put him top of the Golden Boot race at 39 years old — but the result leaves his international future uncertain after a second World Cup final loss to go with his triumph in 2022 and runner-up finish in 2014. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said afterwards he hoped "everyone feels proud of him, of what he's achieved," while stopping short of confirming whether the final was Messi's last World Cup appearance.

Relive every moment from the tournament in our World Cup 2026 hub, including the extra-time and penalty rules explained in our knockout tie-breaker guide. New to the sport after catching the World Cup? Our soccer rules beginner's guide covers everything from offside to added time in plain English.

For the official record, see FIFA's match centre for the final and the official Golden Ball announcement.

FAQ

Who won the 2026 World Cup?

Spain, beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final on 19 July 2026 at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey. It's Spain's second World Cup title, after 2010.

What was the final score and who scored?

Spain won 1-0 after extra time. Ferran Torres scored the only goal, 39 seconds into the second period of extra time (the 106th minute).

Who won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at the 2026 World Cup?

Kylian Mbappé won the Golden Boot with 10 goals, his second straight World Cup top-scorer award. Rodri won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player, with Messi taking the Silver Ball and Mbappé the Bronze Ball.

Did Lionel Messi win the World Cup in 2026?

No — Argentina lost the final 1-0 to Spain. Messi finished as the tournament's Silver Ball winner and second-top scorer with 8 goals, including a hat-trick in Argentina's opening match.

Is Kylian Mbappé the all-time top scorer in World Cup history?

Yes. His 10 goals in 2026, added to 8 in 2022 and 4 in 2018, give him 22 career World Cup goals — overtaking Miroslav Klose's previous record of 16.

How many teams played in the 2026 World Cup?

A record 48 teams, up from 32 in 2022, split into 12 groups of four with a new Round of 32 added to the knockout stage.

Where was the 2026 World Cup final played?

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, one of 16 stadiums used across co-hosts the United States, Mexico and Canada.

How many goals were scored at the 2026 World Cup?

308 goals across the 104-match tournament, a new World Cup record, breaking the 172-goal mark set at Qatar 2022.