World Cup 2026
07:19 AM | 20 Jul 2026
Spain is World Cup champion for the second time in its history
Fady Mahouly
Spain won the World Cup title for the second time in its history after 2010, after Argentina and its star Lionel Messi were stripped of the title by beating them 1-0 after extra time on Sunday in New Jersey.
After two additional periods were called for and Argentine midfielder Ensu Fernandez was sent off for receiving a second warning (90+3), substitute Ferran Torres scored a well-deserved winning goal for the European champion in the 106th minute, depriving Argentina of a fourth title after 1978, 1986 and 2022.
Spain repeated its achievement in 2010 in South Africa when it needed an extension to beat the Netherlands with a goal scored by Andres Iniesta, and Argentina was deprived of equaling the co-chairs of Brazil, which holds the record in the number of titles (5), and they are European, and the matter is Germany and Italy (4 each).
In an unprecedented final match between the European champions and the Copa America, which was attended by US President Donald Trump, and the Argentine fans filled the sides of MetLife Stadium with their traditional encouragement, La Roja succeeded in quelling the outburst of Messi and his teammates, which appeared since the playing of the national anthem with a loud voice and unprecedented enthusiasm, and a warm embrace between her legend “The Flea” and all his teammates warmly before its start.
La Roja, whose fans were much smaller than its Latin American counterpart, excelled at all levels and was not intimidated by the strong interventions of the Argentines, for which they paid dearly by sending off Chelsea midfielder Ansu Fernandez, who played the role of savior in two matches in the qualifying rounds before turning into a nightmare today.