Spain booked their spot in the World Cup final after a supreme 2-0 dismantling of France in the semi-finals, and had conceded just a single goal en route to the showpiece event, defeating Austria, Portugal and Belgium in the knockout stage.
Meanwhile, Argentina mounted a stunning late comeback to beat England 2-1 in the last four, and also needed to dig deep to see off Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland in the previous rounds.
La Albiceleste were eyeing their fourth World Cup title after victories in 1978, 1986 and 2022. La Roja's sole previous triumph came in 2010, and this was just their second appearance in a final.
As it turned out, Spain were too good for Lionel Messi's Argentina on the day, but needed extra time to earn a 1-0 win in a tense affair.
Read our full match report here.
When was the World Cup final and where did it take place?
The World Cup final took place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, July 19th, with kickoff at 21:00 CET. The venue staged five group-stage matches and two knockout fixtures before the final; the 80,663-seater has a history of hosting big events.
FIFA included a Super Bowl-style half-time show during the final, which extended the break to around 30 minutes, with Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira and BTS all performing.
FIFA World Cup 2026
The 2026 World Cup took place from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament featured 48 national teams and was won by Spain, who beat Argentina in the final.
Full schedule and results | Group standings and bracket | Past winners of the tournament | Our team of the tournament | About the 2030 World Cup