FIFA World Cup

Final

ESP Spain Spain - ARG Argentina Argentina

Spain Spain

Argentina Argentina

F. Torres
106'

90' +3'
E. Fernandez

New York/New Jersey Stadium(Sold out)

Slavko Vinčić

The World Champions

Here is the moment Spain lifted the World Cup trophy.

The champions

The Spanish players are now heading up to collect their winners' medals.

The runners up medals

The Argentinian players are now receiving their second-place medals.

The individual awards

The handing out of the individual awards has begun. Pau Cubarsí has won Young Player of the Tournament, Unai Simón the Golden Glove and Rodri the Golden Ball.

Nearly trophy time

The trophy is on its plinth, and FIFA are nearly ready to hand it out.

The trophy lift

The moment the world was waiting for.

Spain are World Champions

Spain have won their second World Cup title - their first since 2010.

Full-time extra time: Spain 1-0 Argentina

SPAIN ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!! Torres's goal has won it for the Europeans, and they certainly deserved it. Spain dominated from start to end, as Argentina only ever offered anything right at the death.

Full-time

120'

+ 2

Just over

The next corner drops perfectly for Simeone, but he can only fire over from a great position.

120'

+ 1

Added time

There will be five extra minutes.

120'

+ 1

More danger

The Argentina corner is just narrowly scraped behind.

120'

Inches away

Argentina combine down the right, and Simeone's low cross is turned behind in the nick of time.

117'

Ouch

Merino is down after taking a Messi strike straight to the face. That has to hurt.

116'

Magic and misery

Williams does brilliantly to chase after the ball and cut inside in the box, but then he gets his feet completely wrong and pretty much kicks the ball out of play.

113'

Offside goal

Torres bursts through to convert Yamal's pass, but Spain's hero is offside.

112'

Another yellow

Mac Allister trips Merino and picks up a booking.

111'

Argentina remain without a shot

Can they finally spark themselves into life?

Goal attempts

7off target

12on target

0off target

0on target

Torres will

A deep cross from Porro is nodded back across goal by Williams, and Torres hammers home the opener. Spain have so desperately deserved that.

106'

GOAL!

1:0

Assist:N. Williams

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

25 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

9.44 m

106'

Back underway

Who will make themselves a hero?

Kick-off!

Half-time extra time: Spain 0-0 Argentina

It remains level. Spain continue to dominate, but they can't find a way through. We're just 15 minutes away from penalties.

Half-time

105'

+ 1

Added time

There will be three extra minutes before the next stoppage in play.

105'

Yellow card

Lionel Scaloni

103'

Merino heads wide

Williams whips in a delightful cross for Merino, but he can't quite head the ball into the corner. That was a massive chance!

102'

Substitution

Marcos Senesi

Julián Álvarez

101'

Yamal fires wide

The Barcelona star is set up on the edge of the box, but his shot is a long way off target.

99'

More Spanish changes

Zubimendi and Eric García are on for Rodri and Laporte.

99'

Substitution

Eric García

Aymeric Laporte

99'

Substitution

Martín Zubimendi

Rodri

It won't count

Merino is adjudged to have stepped on Otamendi's foot just before Williams fired home, and Argentina survive once again. They are living very dangerously.

97'

The ball is in the net

But will it count?

So close

Pedri finds Williams with the perfect chipped pass, and it is a decent header from Williams, but once more, Emiliano Martínez makes a good stop.

91'

Back underway

Can either side make the breakthrough in extra time?

Extra time

Full-time: Spain 0-0 Argentina

It's level at the end of 90 minutes, and that means we will be going to extra time, but Argentina are down to 10 men. They are yet to cause Spain any problems, but this is football, and anything can happen.

End of second half

90'

+ 8

Good stop

Yamal whips the free-kick over the wall, and Emiliano Martínez makes a good save.

90'

+ 7

Another Paredes foul

Paredes brings down Yamal on the edge of the box, and this is a real chance.

90'

+ 3

Williams denied

After a rare Argentine attack, Williams fires a shot towards goal that Emiliano Martínez saves.

Fernandez is off

The Argentine midfielder flies in on Cubarsí, and he already has a yellow card. He is sent off, despite trying to plead his innocence.

90'

+ 3

Second yellow card

Enzo Fernandez

90'

+ 2

Yellow card

Cristian Romero

90'

+ 1

Added time

There will be four additional minutes.

89'

Wild effort

Rodri has space to shoot from the edge of the box, but he gets his shot horribly wrong.

87'

Torres on the spin

Merino chips the ball over for Torres, but he can't hit the target when shooting on the spin.

82'

Enzo Fernandez in the book

The Argentine midfielder goes to ground easily, looking for a foul and then gets a yellow card for his reaction.

82'

Yellow card

Enzo Fernandez

81'

Another chance

Laporte gets his head to a cross, but the shot is too close to Emiliano Martínez again.

77'

Spain turning the screw

Pedri has a shot saved before Yamal sends in a dangerous cross that is hooked away. Cubarsí then forces Emiliano Martínez into another save with a shot from range.

75'

Double Spanish change

Williams and Merino are on for Olmo and Baena. Merino does love a late goal.

75'

Substitution

Nico Williams

Álex Baena

75'

Substitution

Mikel Merino

Dani Olmo

70'

More Argentine changes

Romero seems to have suffered a knock too and is replaced by Medina. Simeone is also on for De Paul.

70'

Substitution

Giuliano Simeone

Rodrigo de Paul

70'

Substitution

Facundo Medina

Cristian Romero

68'

The last hydration break

The game is stopped so players can take on fluids once again. That should be the last hydration break of the tournament.

67'

Best chance so far

Yamal gets to the byline and floats a cross in that Torres heads goalwards from close range, but he can only head the ball straight at Emiliano Martínez.

Argentina looking to break up the game

Argentina are doing their best to stop Spain from getting any flow to their game.

65'

Headed behind

Yamal sends in a good cross that Paredes clears behind for a corner. Emiliano Martínez then flaps at the resulting set-piece, but once again Argentina survive.

64'

Olmo forces a save

Spain get forward once again, and Olmo has space to shoot from the edge of the box. Emiliano Martínez makes the save, but not convincingly.

62'

First Spanish changes

Pedri and Torres are on for Spain as Ruiz and Oyarzabal make way.

62'

Substitution

Pedri

Fabián Ruiz

62'

Substitution

Ferrán Torres

Mikel Oyarzabal

60'

Paredes has to be careful

The Argentine sub already has a yellow, and now he brings down Porro in a dangerous area.

58'

Substitution

Nahuel Molina

Gonzalo Montiel

56'

Dangerous

Olmo gets in down the right and nearly finds Cucerella with a low cross, but Montiel is there to clear in the nick of time.

55'

Spain almost carve through

Some lovely fluid football sees Spain waltz through Argentina's midfield and defence, but one pass too many means they don't work a shooting chance. It was Ruiz, in the end, that nearly found Oyarzabal.

52'

Paredes gets a yellow

The Argentine midfielder bumps Rodri off the ball and then gets into a shoving match with some Spanish players and gets himself a yellow card.

52'

Yellow card

Leandro Paredes

51'

More of the same

The second half has once again started slowly. Both sides have had possession, but just one shot.

46'

Spain with an early shot

Argentina give away possession a couple of times cheaply, and that allows Baena shooting space on the edge of the box, but his effort is again simple enough for Emiliano Martínez.

46'

Back underway

After that lengthy break, we're finally back underway. How will the players cope with such a long stoppage?

Kick-off!

All over

And the show is finished; the Muppets even made an appearance towards the end.

The first ever World Cup half-time show

The half-time show is in full flow, with BTS, Madonna, the Brazilian Ronaldo and Ronaldinho all making an appearance already. Justin Bieber has also just been introduced by the stars of Ted Lasso.

45'

+ 5

Substitution

Leandro Paredes

Nico González

Half-time: Spain 0-0 Argentina

Well, the final has far from lived up to yesterday's incredible spectacle, but it remains close and full of tension. Spain have been the dominant force and looked far more likely. However, Argentina have had occasional moments of threat.

Half-time

45'

+ 1

Added time

There will be four extra minutes before the break.

Off injured

Lisandro Martinez appears to have hurt himself, and he is forced off with an injury. Otamendi is on to replace him.

44'

Substitution

Nicolás Otamendi

Lisandro Martinez

43'

Not far away

Cucurella drives an effort towards the far corner from the edge of the box. He doesn't catch it perfectly, but it isn't far away from the far corner.

42'

Could have been more

Spain work the ball neatly down the right, and Porro has space to cross, but his delivery doesn't find a teammate in the middle.

41'

First booking

Martinez chops down Oyarzabal as he tries to launch a counter and earns himself a yellow card.

41'

Yellow card

Lisandro Martinez

39'

Oyarzabal drives a shot goalwards

Finally, we have another shot on goal as some nice combination play sees the ball drop nicely for Oyarzabal on the edge of the box. He catches his shot well, but it's simple enough for Emiliano Martínez.

38'

Quite stop-start

There have been quite a few fouls in the opening 40 minutes, and that is damaging the flow of the game.

33'

Just the one shot still

We're still waiting for this game to spark into life, really.

Goal attempts

0off target

1on target

0off target

0on target

29'

Back underway

The ball is moving again.

25'

Hydration break

There's a stoppage in play as the players take on fluids.

23'

Not many chances

xGoals

The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).

Despite Spain seeing much more of the ball, the game has still only really seen that Yamal chance so far.

xGoals

0.14

Goals

It's getting feisty

There have been a few forceful challenges in the last few minutes. More frequently from the Argentine side as they look to disrupt Spain's flow.

17'

Dangerous delivery

Yamal plucks a long ball forward out of the sky beautifully before causing Tagliafico a problem with some good footwork. His low cross, though, is too close to Emiliano Martínez.

15'

Reckless

Mac Allister flies in on Olmo and catches him awkwardly. The Argentine midfielder is perhaps lucky not to be the first player in the book.

Spain on top

The European champions have looked confident in the opening minutes, moving the ball around neatly and probing for opportunities. Argentina do look a danger on the break, though.

Swiftly followed by another opportunity

At the other end, Messi almost gets in behind, but Simón is there to clear. The ball then lands at the feet of Álvarez, but he can't sort his feet out to shoot with Simón out of position.

First big opportunity

Yamal's deflected cross is played back to him by Olmo, but the teenage sensation can only place a rather tame shot straight at Emiliano Martínez in the end. That could have been the opener.

We're underway

The ball is moving in the World Cup final.

Kick-off!

The World Cup trophy

And here is the prize the players are playing for.

National anthems

The national anthems have been played, and we're now just moments from kick-off. The players are on the pitch and ready to get going.

More closing ceremony

After more performances from the likes of Robbie Williams and Tom Cruise, it is almost time to get underway.

Spain team news

The European champions remain unchanged once again, meaning the likes of Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal are starting once again.

Argentina team news

Three changes for the reigning champions as Gonzalo Montiel, Rodrigo de Paul and Nico González (a former VfB Stuttgart player) come into the starting XI to replace Nahuel Molina, Giuliano Simeone and Leandro Paredes.

Starting line-up: Spain

Spain subs

Joan García, Raya, Eric García, Grimaldo, Pubill, Gavi, Llorente, Merino, Pedri, Pino , Zubimendi,Iglesias, Torres, Muñoz, Williams

Starting line-up: Argentina

Argentina subs

Musso, Rulli, Medina, Molina, Otamendi, Senesi, Almada, Barco, Lo Celso, Palacios, Paredes, Paz, López, La. Martínez, Simeone

A host of iconic performers

We're only a few minutes into this closing ceremony, but we've already seen performances from Post Malone, Swae Lee and IShowSpeed (pictured) against the backdrop of the New York skyline. We're also apparently still set to see appearances from Tom Cruise and Robbie Williams.

Closing ceremony about to start

The 2026 World Cup closing ceremony is about to get underway.

The half-time show

In true American style, today's final will feature a half-time show, meaning the interval will likely last longer than normal. The likes of Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber and BTS are all set to perform. The show itself is expected to last 11 minutes, but that doesn't account for the time needed to set up and tidy away the stage. Here is pop superstar Shakira alongside Germany's World Cup-winning coach Joachim Löw following the success of 2010's song Waka Waka.

Demichelis on Spain

"Spain are a very good national team."

RB Leipzig coach Martín Demichelis on Argentina's chances

"Anything can happen in football. Especially when Lionel Messi is on the pitch."

Can Palacios make history?

Argentina's only Bundesliga representative this summer is Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Palacios. Having lifted the World Cup trophy in 2022, he could become the first Bundesliga player to win it twice if Scaloni's side defeat Spain tonight.

The venue

The stage is set for the biggest game in world football at New York New Jersey Stadium. Home to the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets, the 82,500-capacity venue has been transformed for the World Cup and now hosts the tournament’s showpiece as Spain and Argentina battle for the trophy. Situated in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from Manhattan, the stadium has previously staged the 2016 Copa América final and Super Bowl XLVIII.

Lionel Scaloni on facing Spain

“They have players who have played in globally big stages - and they are top players for their teams too. So w,hen it comes to pressure, when the ball starts roling, players forget about this and they just focus on playing. [Spain] played a Euro final and a Nations League final. They also have a great deal of experience. I don’t think being in a final again plays in our favour.”

Luis de la Fuente on facing Argentina

"There are two top-class sides, two superb teams with many similarities – in their approach to the game and in the talent of their players – so I think it's going to be a cracking match. I believe that, in terms of our approach, both Argentina and Spain – Spain and Argentina alike – are setting out to play a match where brilliance, talent and good football will prevail over any other factor."

0:44

Watch: Olmo's 2023 Supercup hat-trick

Enjoy Dani Olmo's trio of strikes against Bayern for Leipzig in 2023 as the latter prevailed, showing his ability to perform when it matters.

Attack vs. defence

Argentina's attack have been on fire this tournament, netting 19 goals up until now. They haven't scored fewer than two goals in a game yet, but will come up against the most stubborn defence at the tournament. Spain have conceded just one goal so far, and have also found their attacking rhythm at the perfect time.

Champions go head-to-head

Spain are currently the reigning European champions, while Argentina are South American and world champions looking to retain the title they lifted in 2022, making this a true clash of footballing giants.

Even history

Spain and Argentina have faced off 14 times, with six wins apiece and two draws. Their most recent meeting was a friendly in 2018, which Spain won 6-1. Their only competitive encounter brought a 2-1 Argentina victory at the 1966 World Cup. They were meant to meet in March in Qatar for the Finalissima between the reigning European and South American champions, but the game had to be cancelled due to security issues in the Middle East and the inability to reach an agreement to move the match to another location.

How they got here: Spain

Spain beat France rather convincingly in their semi-final, with Les Bleus offering surprisingly little as they fell to a 2-0 defeat. Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro got the goals for Spain, who have still only conceded once all tournament.

How they got here: Argentina

Lionel Scaloni's men came from behind to beat England 2-1 in their semi-final. A brilliant long-range strike from Enzo Fernández pulled them level with minutes to spare, before Lautaro Martínez (pictured) headed home to break England hearts and book a second consecutive final for his country.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome to live coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Spain and Argentina in New Jersey (kick-off 9pm CEST).