4 takeaways after Spain beat Argentina in overtime to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup

NEW YORK NEW JERSEY STADIUM — Spain is alone at the top of the world. La Roja won their second World Cup title on Sunday – Spain’s first since 2010 – beating Lionel Messi and 10-man Argentina on Ferran Torres’ goal in the second half of extra time after a scoreless first 90 minutes – and preventing the Albiceleste from becoming the first country to repeat as World Cup champions since Pele led Brazil to back-to-back titles in 1958 and 1962. Spain dominated the match from start to finish. to end. They outscored the Argentines, who lost Enzo Fernández to a second yellow card before the start of extra 30 minutes, by an incredible 20-0 and forced goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez to make 11 saves, a new World Cup final record. Yet it took Torres’ 106th-minute goal to defeat the defending champions – and likely end Messi’s career on sport’s biggest stage. Here are four takeaways from Sunday’s dramatic World Cup final. 1. Spain’s well-deserved triumph As they did against England in last week’s semi-final victory in Atlanta, Argentina fans far outnumbered Spaniards among the 80,663 people who attended Sunday’s final. Most of the neutral fans present and watching across the world probably wanted to see Messi win another World Cup as well, cementing his legacy as the greatest soccer player of all time. Even if she ended up being disappointed, La Roja fully deserved to win this World Cup. The pre-tournament favorites were never flashy during their more than five-week stay in North America. They didn’t have the panache of France, nor the sheer star power of other nations, even though they fielded teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. Spain was nevertheless the best team in this World Cup. They showed it by rendering France toothless and eliminating the Blues with relative ease to reach Sunday’s deciding match, where they also largely dominated Argentina. The score was close, but the statistics were not: even before Fernández was sent off in stoppage time with a second yellow card, Yamal & Co. controlled almost two-thirds of the possession. 2. Lionel Messi’s last World Cup match? Almost certainly, yes. The GOAT turned 39 during the tournament. He will celebrate his 43rd birthday when Argentina, Morocco, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain and Uruguay co-host the Centennial World Cup in 2030. (As things stand, the South American nations will only get one match each.) Messi may be superhuman, but he’s no less human. He will surely no longer score at will at the highest level in four years. RIGHT? If there is anyone who can, why not him? Messi was on top form this summer, eclipsing the career-best seven goals he scored to lead his country to the 2022 title. He had said he would retire after this World Cup, only to change his mind after Argentina’s victory. After coming so close to winning a second title, could he attempt to climb that mountain again? After all, Cristiano Ronaldo was 41 this summer and still scored three goals in Portugal’s five matches. And since Messi’s game doesn’t rely as much on physicality, he could surely stay a little longer if he wants. 3. La Roja’s dynasty is just beginning Much of the talk leading up to Sunday’s grand final, a few miles west of New York, was an opportunity for Argentina to do something unprecedented by becoming the first national team to win four major titles in a row, breaking a tie with the legendary Spanish side of the early 2010s. In ending the dream of the 2022 world champions, this generation of Spanish players has asserted themselves as the worthy successors of these two dynasties. Under the leadership of coach Luis de la Fuente, Spain have won three trophies in the last three years; Sunday’s triumph capped La Roja’s European Championship win in 2024 and the UEFA Nations League crown they won a year earlier. (They narrowly lost the Nations League final last summer, to Portugal.) With another Nations League to play next year, Euro 2028, scheduled for the following summer, and a home World Cup two years later, Spain, with the fifth youngest team among the 48 teams participating in this World Cup, will have a chance over the next few years to become the most decorated national team of all. 4. What’s next for Argentina? Messi is not the only one accustomed to not being back even for the 2028 Copa América, let alone the next World Cup. Coach Lionel Scaloni could leave; the architect of Argentina’s most successful team of all time is out of contract and has not said whether he wants to return. Besides Messi, eight players are already 30 years old or older. With an average age of almost 29, they were one of the grayest teams at this World Cup. So even if Messi and Scaloni stay, a change is coming for the runner-up. What if the two Lionels left? A whole new batch of new faces, led by young survivors like Valentín Barco and Nico Paz, both 21, and Giuliano Simeone (23), will be asked to take over from the veterans. They will have a lot of things to do.