European champions Spain defeated defending title-holders Argentina in a compelling World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, securing their second global crown and ending Lionel Messi’s bid for back-to-back triumphs.
La Roja’s 1-0 extra-time victory, courtesy of Ferran Torres’ decisive strike, saw Luis de la Fuente’s side avenge their 2022 quarter-final exit to the same opponents and add to their sole previous success at South Africa 2010, where they edged the Netherlands by the same scoreline.
The result denied Argentina a historic achievement: no nation has retained the World Cup since Brazil in 1962, and Messi – widely regarded as the greatest player of all time – fell short of emulating that 64-year-old feat in what may have been his final appearance on football’s grandest stage.
For Spain, however, the triumph completes a remarkable transformation under de la Fuente, who has welded tactical discipline with attacking fluency to re-establish La Roja as football’s pre-eminent force, just two years after their European Championship success.
The victory also extended Spain’s remarkable record in knockout football, having not lost a major tournament match since 2022, while Argentina’s passionate supporters were left to ponder a rare reversal for a side that had dominated world football since their Qatar triumph four years ago.
As the confetti settled over East Rutherford, Spain’s players celebrated a coronation that cements their generation’s legacy – and ensures the World Cup trophy will return to Iberian soil for only the second time in the nation’s history.