NEW YORK, United States, July 20, 2026 – Heading into Sunday evening, the stakes were always high as two of the world best teams went head-to-head in battle for the crown of the ‘world’s best team.’
Having won their third title at the last edition in 2022 in Qatar, Lionel Messi and Argentina were looking to follow in the footsteps of Italy and Brazil as the only nations to successfully defend their World Cup crown.
On the other, Spain were seeking to win their second title since they first did it in 2010.
Coincidentally, on that occasion, Luis de la Fuente’s side won the World Cup in South Africa, two years after they had clinched the European title in Poland and Ukraine.
Similarly, coming into the final at the New York New Jersey Stadium, La Roja had beaten England 2-1 in Germany to win the Euros in 2024.
The omens were good and they backed up that piece of encouraging statistic with their familiar neat passing and possession in the middle of the park.
It may have taken long but their dominance eventually bore fruit as Ferran Torres volleyed in the winner in the second half of extra time.
As they celebrate their second ever World Cup title, the pictures tell a story of a one-sided final that had all the mixture of the emotions as all the players involved went through the motions.
