Spain have been crowned 2026 World Cup champions after a dominant display that left little doubt about who deserved to lift the trophy.
Ferran Torres settled the final in the 106th minute, with captain Rodri lifting the trophy high after a gruelling contest in New Jersey.
Alan Shearer, speaking on BBC One, left no room for ambiguity in his assessment of the occasion and the outcome.
“There is no doubt that the right team won,” Shearer said. “From start to finish, Spain controlled possession. They were the ones looking to play football, create chances and get in behind.”
“This is a result for football because of the way that they have played. Spain deserve it,” he added, summing up the mood among most neutrals watching.
Spain finished the match with 65% possession, 20 shots on goal with 11 on target, and an expected goals tally of 1.94.
Argentina, by contrast, did not manage a single shot in the first 90 minutes, with Lionel Messi’s 117th-minute effort their first attempt of the entire final.
Goalkeeper Unai Simon won the Golden Glove for the tournament’s best goalkeeper, keeping his seventh clean sheet in eight matches throughout the competition.
Spain conceded just one goal across the entire 2026 World Cup, the fewest ever recorded by a winning team in the tournament’s history.
Pau Cubarsi completed 121 passes in the final, with Rodri adding 101, making them two of only three players ever to complete 100 or more passes in a World Cup final.
Cubarsi, 19, was named young player of the tournament, while Lamine Yamal became the third-youngest player ever to appear in a World Cup final, after Pele in 1958 and Giuseppe Bergomi in 1982.
Spain are now world, Olympic and European champions, with the men’s side unbeaten in their last 38 matches across all competitions, the longest such run by any European team in history.
Argentina’s behaviour after the final whistle drew widespread condemnation, with Leandro Paredes involved in confrontations with Rodri, Gavi and Borja Iglesias, while Nahuel Molina was seen throwing a punch at a Spain player.
Enzo Fernandez received two yellow cards, first for dissent and then for a reckless challenge on Cubarsi, earning him a red card in the closing stages of extra time.
Wayne Rooney, serving as a BBC pundit, was unsparing in his verdict on Argentina’s post-match conduct on the pitch.
“Embarrassing, seeing that sort of stuff after the game has been played,” Rooney said. “Someone has been crowned World Cup champions. It is not good enough.”
“Paredes is better than that. It doesn’t stop there. He keeps going and going,” Rooney continued, directing particular criticism at the midfielder’s involvement in the post-match scenes.
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made 11 saves during the match, the most by any goalkeeper on record in a World Cup final, though it ultimately proved insufficient.
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, speaking through tears at his post-match press conference, conceded that the better side had won the tournament.
“They deserved the victory, that is the reality,” Scaloni said, while also lamenting Fernandez’s dismissal and questioning what might have been with eleven men on the pitch.
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart was equally blunt in his assessment, calling the post-match scenes “disgusting behaviour” while acknowledging the emotional toll of 120 hard-fought minutes.
