n a fiercely contested World Cup final, Ferran Torres' late goal secured victory for Spain over Argentina, handing La Roja their second-ever World Cup trophy at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Lamine Yamal registered the game's first shot on target in the 4th minute, but Emiliano Martinez was equal to it, keeping things level. Spain had another chance in the 38th minute when Mikel Oyarzabal unleashed a stunning strike from the edge of the box, only for Martinez to pull off another save.
Argentina suffered a setback in first-half stoppage time when Lisandro Martinez was forced off through injury, with Otamendi coming on in his place.
The first half ended goalless, with Spain firmly in control — registering 3 shots on target to Argentina's 0, the fewest by a team in a World Cup game since 1966.
Spain's dominance continued into the second half. In the 76th minute, Pau Cubarsi tested Martinez with a strike from outside the box, and four minutes later Nico Williams headed goalward from a Yamal cross — both saved by the Argentine goalkeeper.
Two minutes into second-half stoppage time, Enzo Fernandez was sent off for a foul on Dani Olmo, having already picked up a yellow card following a scuffle between players in the 82nd minute. That left Argentina down to 10 men. In the final minute of stoppage time, Spain came close again through a Yamal strike from distance, saved once more by Martinez.
Spain briefly thought they'd broken the deadlock when Nico Williams tapped in off a Mikel Merino rebound, but the goal was disallowed for a foul.
The breakthrough finally came in the 106th minute of extra time, when Ferran Torres struck left-footed into the net, assisted by Nico Williams. Minutes later, Torres thought he'd doubled his tally after latching onto another Williams pass and finishing into the corner, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Spain held on to be crowned World Cup champions, defeating Argentina 1-0.
**Records Broken**
Lionel Messi became the first player to captain a national team in three World Cup finals, and the first outfield player to start a World Cup match at 39 years and 25 days old. Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi became the youngest players to start a World Cup final since Pele and Giuseppe Bergomi — and this final marked the first time starters on opposing sides were separated by a 20-year age gap, with Messi (39) and Yamal (19). Emiliano Martinez became the first goalkeeper to make 11 saves in a World Cup final, and Atlético Madrid supplied the most players (10) to a World Cup final for the third consecutive tournament.
Spain also extended their unbeaten run to 38 games — now the longest unbeaten streak in international football history, surpassing Italy's 37-match run from 2018–2021.
Pau Cubarsi was named FIFA Young Player of the Tournament. Unai Simon took Goalkeeper of the Tournament honors after conceding just one goal all tournament — scored by Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere — while keeping seven clean sheets. Rodri was named FIFA Best Player of the Tournament, winning the Golden Ball. Kylian Mbappe claimed the Golden Boot with 10 goals, and the Netherlands were named the tournament's Fair Play team.
