Spain won it. And nobody scored for 105 minutes.

Who won the 2026 World Cup?

Spain. Final score 1-0 after extra time. For 105 minutes this was the least exciting great game you will ever watch: two elite defenses, almost no clear chances, and a whole lot of passing sideways while a packed MetLife held its breath. Think of a 0-0 NFL game into the fourth quarter where both defenses are so good that the first team to make a mistake loses. Argentina made theirs in stoppage time.

The champions: Spain

Ferran Torres came on in the 62nd minute for Mikel Oyarzabal and finished from close range in the 106th minute, just after the start of extra time. He became only the third substitute ever to score the winner in a World Cup final. Spain finished the tournament having conceded exactly one goal in eight matches and never trailing for a single minute from June 11 to July 19.

Everyman take: this was the 2000 Ravens winning a title by refusing to let anyone breathe, except the Ravens did not also have a 19-year-old wideout in Lamine Yamal doing circus tricks on third down. Spain also became the first country to hold the men's and women's World Cup titles at the same time, having won the women's in 2023. That is a dynasty, and it is not a close call.

The runners-up: Argentina

Argentina got 90 minutes of exactly the grinding, ugly, refuse-to-lose soccer that got them here, and then lost the plot in stoppage time. Enzo Fernándezcollided with Pau Cubarsí while charging after a ball at 90+3, picked up a second yellow, and was sent off. That left Argentina to play all 30 minutes of extra time with ten men. In soccer there are no substitutions to cover for it and no clock to run out. You just have to survive, and they did not.

Everyman take: it is a personal foul on third-and-long that takes your best linebacker off the field for overtime. Emiliano Martínez was magnificent in goal, denying Aymeric Laporte, tipping away a Yamal free kick, and somehow stopping a Nico Williams header in the 94th. He simply ran out of teammates. Messi, 39, in his third career final, leaves with one World Cup instead of two.

How the 2026 World Cup played out

Treat this like a season in review. Spain were the No. 1 seed who went wire to wire, and it started with the tournament's biggest shock in the other direction: debutants Cape Verde held them to a 0-0 draw in the group stage behind a 40-year-old goalkeeper making seven saves. Spain never dropped another point.

The upsets were relentless. Paraguay knocked out Germany on penalties, handing the Germans their first ever World Cup shootout loss. Morocco went through on penalties too, then put three past co-hosts Canada. Norway beat Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16 behind an Erling Haaland double, sending Brazil home at their earliest exit since 1990 and reaching a first ever quarterfinal.

The USA had their best tournament in a generation and it still ended too early. They won Group D, beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 with ten men for the last half hour, and then got taken apart 4-1 by Belgium in the Round of 16. A first knockout win since 2002, no quarterfinal. Progress with a receipt attached.

England got the loudest goodbye. They beat France 6-4in Saturday's third-place game, the most goals in a World Cup match since 1982, with a Bukayo Saka hat-trick. It is their best finish since 1966, which they will absolutely tell you about. We break the whole tournament down in NFL and baseball terms on the GameDay School YouTube channel, including how a team with one goal against wins a World Cup.

The awards, all four of them: Golden Bootto Kylian Mbappé (10 goals), who became the first man ever to win it twice and the all-time leading World Cup scorer with 22. Golden Ballto Spain's Rodri as best player, beating out Messi. Golden Gloveto Unai Simón, seven clean sheets in eight games. Best Young Playerto Pau Cubarsí, 19 years old and now a world champion. Spain took three of the four. The one they lost went to a Frenchman who did not make the final.

New here? Start with these

If this tournament turned you into a soccer person over the last six weeks, congratulations, that is exactly how it works. The club seasons in Europe start back up in August, the next World Cup is in 2030, and none of it requires you to already know anything. We explain every rule and storyline using NFL and baseball language on the GameDay School YouTube channel.

• Start with How the 2026 World Cup Works if you still want the format explained now that it is over.
• Read Offside, Explained for Americans so you never have to nod along at a bar again.
• Catch up with yesterday's recap (July 19) for the full final preview and the England-France madness.

FAQ: 2026 World Cup Final

Who won the 2026 World Cup?

Spain. They beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time on Sunday, July 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is Spain's second World Cup title and their first since 2010.

What was the final score of the 2026 World Cup final?

Spain 1, Argentina 0, after extra time. Ferran Torres scored the only goal in the 106th minute as a substitute. Argentina played the entire extra-time period with ten men after Enzo Fernández was sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time.

Who won the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup?

Kylian Mbappé of France, with 10 goals. He is the first player to win the Golden Boot at two World Cups and is now the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 22. Lionel Messi finished second with eight.

When is the next World Cup?

2030. It will be hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, with three centenary celebration matches played in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to mark 100 years since the first World Cup. Four years, plenty of time to learn what a false nine is.