Spain End Argentina’s Reign, Lift Second FIFA World Cup Title

New York- Spain were crowned FIFA World Cup 2026 champions after Ferran Torres struck a dramatic extra-time winner to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory over defending champions Argentina in the final at the New York New Jersey Stadium.

With neither side able to break the deadlock during a tense 90 minutes, the match headed into extra time. Torres, introduced from the bench, made the decisive impact in the 106th minute. Nico Williams headed the ball into his path, and the Spanish forward fired a powerful left-footed shot beyond goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to hand Spain their second World Cup title, ending a 16-year wait since their maiden triumph in South Africa in 2010.

Spain controlled possession for most of the contest and created the clearer scoring opportunities, but Martinez produced a string of outstanding saves to keep Argentina in the game. At the other end, Lionel Messi and the Argentine attack found it difficult to break through Spain’s disciplined defensive setup.

Argentina’s hopes suffered a major blow in stoppage time of normal play when midfielder Enzo Fernandez received his second yellow card, forcing the defending champions to play the entire extra-time period with 10 men.

Spain maintained their attacking momentum and even had another goal ruled out for a foul during the build-up. However, Luis de la Fuente’s side comfortably protected their slender advantage in the closing minutes to bring Argentina’s reign as world champions to an end.

The victory completed an unbeaten World Cup campaign for Spain and added a second world title to their footballing history. Argentina, who had lifted the trophy in Qatar four years earlier, fell just short of becoming back-to-back world champions.

With inputs from IANS