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Spain defeated Lionel Messi’s Argentina in extra time to win the 2026 World Cup.
Substitute Ferran Torres struck in the second half of extra time to secure Spain’s second World Cup after a disappointing Argentina were reduced to 10 men.
The defending champions did not register an attempt on goal until the 117th minute and fell short in their bid to become only the third nation to retain the World Cup.
Instead, Messi’s glorious World Cup career ended in heartbreak at the age of 39.
Describe this tournament in three words.
Nancy Froston: “Super-sized. Chaotic. Blockbuster.”
Max Mathews: “Intense. Controversial. Bizarre.”
George Ramsay: “Messi. Bathed. Yamal.”
Austin Green: “Football. Bloody hell.”
Liliana Michelena: “Chaotic. Tear-jerking. Enough.”
Michael Dominski: “Never-ending. Thrilling. Muppets.”
Ed Mackey: “Exciting. Excellent. Expensive.”
What do you want to see change in 2030?
Nancy Froston: “Less posturing towards politicians. From Messi being made to wear a bisht while lifting the World Cup in 2022 to Donald Trump lurking beside Spain’s trophy presentation this year, politics has been far too visible during the tournament’s biggest moments. It will not change, but we can dream.”
Max Mathews: “No hydration breaks unless they are strictly necessary — and no advertising during them. No unnecessarily punitive visa restrictions on foreign supporters. No political interference with the action on the pitch. No dynamic pricing. I could keep going. How long have you got?”
Austin Green: “Hopefully the heads of state of 2030 co-hosts Spain, Portugal and Morocco do not try to pressure Gianni Infantino into overturning any controversial decisions against their players. That would be nice.”
Liliana Michelena: “Less politics, less shameless cosying up to power, less sports industry, more sport. Good luck with that, though.”
Michael Dominski: “As much fun as the additional teams brought to this tournament, I would love to see the group stage return to a format in which only the top two sides in each group advance. That would require either reducing the field to 32 teams, which will never happen, or expanding it to 64 … ”
What was your favourite memory?
Austin Green: “Watching my parents, who were completely indifferent to football before this tournament, follow a World Cup as they never had before and develop a new appreciation for the sport.
“It felt as though I was passing some of my sporting fandom on to them after they had done the same for me with basketball and baseball. I spent time with them in the days before the final and they were asking about the Premier League, which would have been unimaginable before the tournament began.”
Liliana Michelena: “The sheer joy of Argentina’s players and supporters after their late comeback against England in the semi-final. Justice for territorial disputes and past wars is not settled on a football pitch, but there was a genuine consensus that this was their most important match of the tournament — even more important than the fourth star that ultimately never arrived.”
Michael Dominski: “I attended the first match in Canada, accompanying my brother-in-law to Toronto to watch his native Bosnia and Herzegovina face the co-hosts. The emotion he displayed as he sang his country’s national anthem, the celebrations when Bosnia took the lead and the tension as Canada equalised and pushed for a winner, made it an unforgettable experience.”
What was your favourite memory?
Nancy Froston: “Sidny Lopes Cabral’s stunning goal for Cape Verde against Argentina. For a brief moment, the dream was alive and it looked as though Cape Verde might pull off the greatest World Cup upset of them all.”
Max Mathews: “After scoring that goal against Argentina, Sidny Lopes Cabral sprinted across the pitch and jumped into the stands like a tennis player at Wimbledon. He then sought out his partner, Jayley da Cruz, for an embrace.
“It was a lovely reminder that, whether you are playing or watching football, it is about who you share it with rather than what you do.”
George Ramsay: “The World Cup is nothing without its cult icons, and watching 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha keep eventual champions Spain at bay in the group stage was wonderful. He arrived as an unknown but left with an army of fans and a newly discovered species of mollusc named in his honour. Job well done, I’d say.”
What was the best goal of the tournament?
Max Mathews: “I loved Sidny Lopes Cabral’s strike for Cape Verde against Argentina, as well as Lionel Messi’s goal earlier in the same game: velvet control followed by a perfectly judged half-volley. Wilson Isidor’s goal for Haiti stands out too.”
George Ramsay: “I loved Sidny Lopes Cabral’s extra-time goal against Argentina in the round of 32, both for the drama of Cape Verde drawing level with the defending champions and the sheer quality of the finish. He cut inside Alexis Mac Allister and bent a beautiful shot inside the far post to create one of this World Cup’s great moments.”
Austin Green: “Sidny Lopes Cabral’s stunning, curling extra-time equaliser against Argentina. Full stop. I’m not sure what the point of the Puskas Award is if that does not win this year’s edition.”
Liliana Michelena: “Sidny Lopes Cabral’s. It was incredible and, for a moment, felt as though it had opened an impossible hinge point — an undiscovered dimension of everything football can generate and the sheer desire required to play it.”
What was the best game of the tournament?
Austin Green: “Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde. It was the most lopsided match-up in the round of 32, judging by the FIFA rankings at least, but instead became its most enthralling game.
“Bubista’s side refused to surrender or be intimidated by the world champions, continuing to push into the opposition half while trusting their well-organised defence and new international hero Vozinha. It almost worked.
“Lionel Messi produced an incredible right-footed finish for the opening goal, yet it may have been only the third or fourth most memorable strike of the match. I will never forget where I was standing when Sidny Lopes Cabral scored that equaliser before celebrating as if he were in a Disney film.
“Less memorable, but still worth noting, is that Argentina needed a deflected header from a corner to regain the lead. Cape Verde then had them on the ropes again before the final whistle in extra time.”
Michael Dominski: “Plenty of my colleagues have made a case for Argentina against Cape Verde, but I’ll go for Argentina against Egypt. It was a rollercoaster of a match that initially appeared destined to produce an upset for the ages before becoming a legendary comeback, with a little controversy thrown in for good measure.”
What was the best game of the tournament?
Nancy Froston: “England 3-2 Mexico. It had everything: goals, a feisty atmosphere and a red card. The pre-match discussion about the altitude and Mexico’s remarkable record at the Estadio Azteca added extra layers, and the game lived up to the hype.”
Max Mathews: “England against France in the third-place play-off was knockabout fun, while Cape Verde’s matches against Uruguay, Spain and then Argentina in the knockout phase were excellent. Two more left-field choices would be the 2-2 draws between Japan and the Netherlands, and Iran vs New Zealand.”
George Ramsay: “I had little appetite for the third-place play-off between England and France before it got under way, but it delivered entertainment from almost the first minute. Ten goals, a hat-trick and a dramatic near-comeback — it was just a shame that there was so little at stake.”
Liliana Michelena: “England against Mexico. Pure chaos — and England overcame adversity when many thought they would falter.”
Who was the player of the tournament?
George Ramsay: “So many of the biggest names delivered memorable moments. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe broke scoring records, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham stepped up at crucial times for England, while Erling Haaland was brilliant and ruthless in front of goal at his first World Cup. But all of them fell short of lifting the trophy.
“It is difficult to single out one player from this Spain side. Rodri grew in stature as the tournament progressed and was particularly outstanding in the semi-final and final. His recovery from injury this season has been fascinating and remarkable, so I’ll pick him.”
Liliana Michelena: “Rodri. It was extraordinary how he carried the team with such calm, organising everything and dictating play with every pass.
“Honourable mentions go to Jude Bellingham and Messi, who brought an unmatched footballing intelligence and slow-motion vision of the game to an otherwise ragged Argentina side at his final World Cup.”
Michael Dominski: “I’ll go for the best story rather than the objectively best player: Vozinha. The 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper was at the heart of an incredible feel-good story — and he was the only one to keep a clean sheet against Spain.”
Who was the player of the tournament?
Nancy Froston: “Rodri. Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham also deserve mentions after making huge differences for their respective teams, but Rodri is a class act. Calm, controlled and composed on the ball, he makes Spain tick and can now add World Cup winner to his CV.”
Max Mathews: “The heart says Lionel Messi, even though he was anonymous in the final until the closing minutes of extra time, when his well of miracles finally ran dry. The head says Rodri, who captained his country brilliantly and demonstrated why he is a Ballon d’Or winner.”
Austin Green: “Lionel Messi. Name another 39-year-old in the history of the sport who has had an entire team built around him and made it work at this level.”
Was today’s game a fitting finale?
George Ramsay: “It was a fitting result in that the best team won, but this was not the greatest spectacle the tournament had to offer. Spain did what they do best and controlled the game from midfield; Argentina, however, were desperately disappointing and offered so little in attack. They did not register an attempt on goal until the 116th minute.”
Liliana Michelena: “No, but it was the final everyone had envisaged — only a more extreme version of it. Spain overran the midfield, Argentina barely saw the ball and Emiliano Martinez single-handedly dragged his team through the contest until he simply could not do so any longer, even if nobody expected Argentina’s passing to be quite so poor.
“Enzo’s red card changed everything and Argentina’s spirit could not overcome Spain’s well-rehearsed composure.”
Michael Dominski: “No. This was a fantastically entertaining tournament and a fantastically dreadful final. There was some drama because it remained level for so long, but scoring opportunities were desperately scarce. It was a tough watch until Spain finally broke through.”
Was today’s game a fitting finale?
Nancy Froston: “Yes and no. In terms of big dramatic moments — a last-gasp winner and a red card — yes. As a footballing spectacle played in the spirit of the game, certainly not. It is difficult to mention this alongside the final four years ago, which was entertaining from start to finish.”
Max Mathews: “It was a disappointing final, but perhaps a fitting finale to a tournament that produced less beautiful football than many supporters would have liked.”
Austin Green: “Absolutely not. The story of this tournament was one of superstars shining and incredible goals being scored with a frequency rarely seen at a World Cup. This was the opposite.
“That was by design from Spain and fair play to them: they rendered the two leading World Cup goalscorers of all time — Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi — practically ineffective in successive matches.”
The longest World Cup in history is over after a record 104 matches across 39 days.
It has all been a glorious blur so, to help make sense of the madness, I asked our live team to share some of their standout memories from the tournament.
We would love to hear yours too. What was your favourite match? What would you like to see change before the 2030 tournament? And how would you describe this summer in three words?
Let us know in the chat above or by emailing live@theathletic.com
For the first time in World Cup history, half-time lasted longer than 15 minutes — 27 minutes, 23 seconds to be precise — to allow for an all-singing, all-dancing musical performance AKA a Super Bowl-style half-time show.
The undoubted star (sponsored by Topps) from a football point of view was an awkward, grinning, goofy Ronaldo Nazario, accompanied by his old Brazil team-mate Ronaldinho, driving a buggy into the stadium with Madonna in the back singing her song Music.
Welcome to an American World Cup.
The rest of the show featured South Korean boyband BTS, Shakira, Burna Boy, Ted Lasso, Justin Bieber, The Muppets, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela (obviously) … and Coldplay, who ended the whole thing with a schmaltzy cacophony of music, colour and the word love.
Was there much to do with football? Well, they did a short bit on the Norwegian row, as performed by their fans and players at this tournament, and an orchestral version of Seven Nation Army.
As a show, fine, it was actually great (apart from the bum Bieber note, a solo acoustic number that went on far too long), extremely well choreographed, slick, fun and entertaining.
But was it worth interrupting the World Cup final for 27 minutes? Absolutely not.
This isn’t the Super Bowl. Do it before or after the game next time please, FIFA.
The Argentina national team’s X account posted a message to Lionel Messi that sounds like it may be a farewell for more than just this World Cup run …
💬 “Your tears are our tears, Captain 👑🇦🇷
“You gave us the greatest joys of our lives. Thank you for the dedication, for the magic, and for giving it your all until the very last second 🙌
“We love you forever, Leo! 🩵🤍”
Tus lágrimas son las nuestras, Capitán 👑🇦🇷
Nos diste las alegrías más grandes de nuestras vidas. Gracias por la entrega, por la magia y por dar la vida hasta el último segundo 🙌
¡Te amamos para siempre, Leo! 🩵🤍 pic.twitter.com/YxcYJbwuPl
Shackle Lionel Messi, shackle Argentina.
Spain are the first side to keep the tournament’s star player quiet, a feat that nullified the rest of Lionel Scaloni’s attack. He took just 15 touches in the first half, his lowest tally across the last three World Cups, with his pass from kick-off his sole contribution in the opening quarter of an hour.
By dominating possession and ferociously hunting it back, Spain smothered Argentina, cutting off the supply line to their talisman.
Aware that Messi, for all his gifts, has lost that explosive yard of pace at 39 years old, Spain pushed their defensive line high, condensing the pitch. When Messi was played through early on, goalkeeper Unai Simon raced off his line, reaching the ball first near the centre circle.
Against this pressure Messi, as he does, scanned the pitch for dangerous pockets of space, but was cut off each time. Just before the hydration break in the first half, he finally received the ball on the turn in midfield, only for Rodri to barge into him and concede a foul.
Against England and Egypt, Messi had turned the game by drifting out to the right, a tactic he tried again here. Spain were wise to it, quickly doubling up and crowding him out.
But Messi’s lack of influence owed less to his own ineffectiveness than to Spain’s dominance, which starved him of the ball, leaving him to feed off scraps.
It took just over 10 minutes for Enzo Fernandez to write himself into the history books — for all the wrong reasons.
The Argentina midfielder was first booked for dissent. After being eased off the ball by Rodri in the centre circle, he collapsed to the floor and appealed for a foul. When the referee Slavko Vincic ignored his pleas, he aggressively swung his arms, showing his disgust. Vincic brandished a yellow card.
In added time at the end of 90 minutes. A loose ball landed between Fernandez and Spain defender Cubarsi. The latter was always the favourite for it and got there first. Fernandez should have pulled out but didn’t, sending Cubarsi’s body tumbling through the air.
It was beyond brainless from the Chelsea midfielder. It also forced Argentina into a change of shape. Initially, Julian Alvarez dropped even deeper than he had been. Then, as Spain tightened their grip in extra time, Lionel Scaloni threw on an extra defender, leaving Messi alone up front.
From that point, it was penalties or nothing from Argentina. And when Torres scored, Fernandez’s idiocy only came into greater focus.
There was a moment, in the dying embers of regular time, when Lionel Messi sprang to life. He had spent most of the preceding 90 minutes in glorious isolation, watching from afar as Spain passed the Argentina defence into a state of hypnosis. He barely touched the ball.
But a player of Messi's class never stays quiet for long. And so, just after Fernandez’s red card, he dug deep … and grassed up Marc Cucurella for speaking to him with his hand over his mouth. The referee was not moved.
Messi has put in some of the great World Cup performances. A few of them have come this summer. This was not even within a million miles of being one of them.
This is a vanishingly rare thing to say about Messi — something that feels close to sacrilegious — but he simply did not influence this match. Messi was well marshalled. And Argentina had nothing else.
A decade ago, Messi walked out of the MetLife Stadium convinced he’d played his final international game, Argentina having lost the 2016 Copa America final to Chile. “It’s over,” he said after that match. He was not, at that point, universally loved in his homeland.
It wasn’t over and today, he was hoping for the perfect finale. But for once, fate did not smile on Argentina’s talisman.
Spain kept pushing, probing, attacking and asking incessant questions of the Argentina rearguard.
It was one-way traffic when Argentina had 11 players, let alone when they had 10, but as Argentina kept fouling, spoiling and slowing the game, penalties seemed inevitable.
Then, finally, in the 106th minute and with their 20th shot, Spain broke through.
As in their quarter-final and semi-final wins, Pedro Porro played a pivotal role — his deep cross finding Nico Williams at the back post, with the Athletic Club forward arching his neck to direct a perfect header back into the path of Ferran Torres, who lashed his shot past a despairing Martinez dive.
Their pressure had finally told and given how they improved as the tournament went on, how they played as a complete team, Spain deserved it.
F. Scott Fitzgerald once made the dare: “Show me a hero and I’ll write you a tragedy.” This was no tragedy. The night before the final, Lionel Messi posted on Instagram:
💬 “Whatever happens tomorrow, this group has already written a story we’ll never forget and that no one can erase.”
In 2021, Argentina won the Copa America for the first time in 28 years and then retained it. In 2022, they won the World Cup for the first time in 36 years and almost retained it.
Outside an event in New York in the lead-up to the final, Messi was told: “Your career is like a video game—you keep unlocking new levels until you reach the end.” He replied: “I already completed the game at the last World Cup in Qatar.”
Even if Kylian Mbappe clinched the Golden Boot in the third-place play-off against England and surpassed him as the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer, many of the other all-time records in this competition belong to Messi. As he walked down the tunnel, nostalgia for a vanishing world set in.
What will the World Cup be like without Messi? His sixth and likely last was mostly astonishing. When visas were revoked and red cards suspended he brought us back to football, delivering the World Cup from FIFA’s many sins.
Gianni Infantino can keep adding teams but one thing is for sure. A World Cup without Messi will always feel less than whole.
GO FURTHER
The sadness of Lionel Messi’s last tango
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