Spain Crowned 2026 World Cup Champions After Edging Argentina in New Jersey

Spain are champions of the world once again. La Roja claimed their second FIFA World Cup title on Sunday, edging defending champions Argentina 1-0 at a packed MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to bring the curtain down on the biggest tournament in the competition’s history.

The narrow victory denied Lionel Messi and Argentina back-to-back crowns, and capped a remarkable campaign for Spain, who conceded just one goal across their first seven matches on the way to the final.

It is Spain’s second world title, arriving 16 years after their maiden triumph in 2010. In only their second World Cup final appearance, La Roja confirmed their return to the summit of the global game.

The 2026 edition was the largest World Cup ever staged, expanded to 48 nations and spread across 39 days in three host countries — the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than six million fans passed through the turnstiles over the course of the tournament.

For Argentina, defeat is a bitter end to their title defence, but the sight of Messi on the game’s grandest stage once more provided a fitting storyline for a tournament that rewrote the record books both on and off the pitch.