Spain’s triumphant World Cup champions have arrived back in Madrid ahead of an extravagant trophy parade through the streets of the capital, while Argentina were left to return home in disgrace following the ugly scenes at the end of their final defeat in New Jersey.
Spain have plenty to celebrate after Ferran Torres’ goal secured their second men’s World Cup triumph, and it was victory for football too after Argentina offered little throughout the match and then reacted badly after the final whistle. Fifa are set to investigate the post-match scenes before deciding whether to take additional disciplinary action.
A bizarre and, at times, deeply weird final was a dire spectacle for 90 minutes. But Spain then finally made the breakthrough when Torres calmly hammered home at the start of the second half of extra time. It meant Lionel Messi was denied on surely his final World Cup appearance, with the aftermath further souring the occasion for the 39-year-old football icon.
Donald Trump then unsurprisingly inserted himself into things post-match as he lurked towards the edge of Spain’s trophy lift to ensure he was in the photo, despite Gianni Infantino trying to usher him away, after presenting the Spanish players with medals and the trophy.
Follow all of the fallout from the World Cup final in our live blog below
COPA INDEPENDENT: Lessons from the final
In the latest episode of Copa Independent, Miguel Delaney and Richard Jolly reflect on Spain winning a second World Cup, with Ferran Torres’ extra-time winner highlighting Spain’s depth and collective style under Luis De la Fuente. They lament Argentina’s negative, ill-disciplined performance which lacked any shot on goal until the 117th minute, a red card for Enzo Fernandez and post-match flare-ups—calling it a frustrating final, and a sad possible last World Cup game for Lionel Messi.
The pair also assess the tournament as good rather than great, discuss England’s missed opportunity under Tuchel and the value of federation-rooted coaches, and condemn chaotic World Cup organisation in the US, including Secret Service delays linked to Donald Trump, celebrity-centric presentation, and a halftime show no-one asked for.
World Cup 2026 team of the tournament: The Independent’s best XI from historic event
Team of the tournament: Vozinha; Porro, Upamecano, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Fernandez, Bellingham; Messi, Haaland, Mbappe
2026 was a World Cup of contradictions – with a tainted legacy
It was over four hours after the final whistle, well beyond the length of Donald Trump’s attention span, that the Spain players finally emerged from the MetLife Stadium dressing room. They were savouring that rarest and most precious of feelings in football: what it means to be world champions.
Nico Williams kept just saying it to teammates, “champions of the world, champions of the world”. Lamine Yamal, disrupting a dance, pointed to the second star. That depth of emotion is what it’s really about, even as Fifa and so many other elements try to use it for something else.
World Cup 2026 awards
What were some of the highlights and lowlights of the tournament? Here are The Independent’s World Cup 2026 awards:
Ferran Torres and Andres Iniesta forever connected by World Cup-winning goals for Spain
Pedro Porro hung a cross into the sky and Argentina’s defenders squinted at the ball like a dying sun. Nico Williams directed it back into yawning space in the middle of the box, where Ferran Torres had momentarily slipped the attention of a limping Giuliano Simeone. Torres steadied himself before rapping his left foot through the ball, piercing a gap above Emiliano Martinez’s gloves, and then he was off, adrenaline pumping, eyes bulging.
The impossible Lionel Messi question Argentina must answer at the end of a golden era
Perhaps it was not the end of an era as much as the end of two. The age of Lionel and the age of Lionel. Each was in tears. Neither has confirmed he has reached the end with Argentina but one hinted at it with his words. In the case of the other, the clue may be in his age. A World Cup final defeat was probably not the way to go – not with Argentina’s bluntness in attack and bad-tempered approach leaving a stain on the occasion – but if their progress had been fuelled by emotion, it got the better of them in the end.
Spain’s legacy is clear and this is what England must learn from World Cup winners
In the moments before Spain went out to become world champions in New York, there was an old mantra from their former boss Luis Aragones that was doing the rounds among the squad. They would be reminded of it before extra-time in the World Cup final.
“Stay calm, you’re the better team.”
That has been made fact and is now preserved by the very name inscribed on the trophy, but it was only proven by the principles that the mantra encapsulates.
It may sound simple, and perhaps even arrogant, but within those few words is an entire idea and the story of this 23rd World Cup final.
Belgium part ways with head coach Rudi Garcia after World Cup
Another World Cup managerial exit.
Belgium have confirmed they will not renew the contract of head coach Rudi Garcia, who bows out from the role after the 2026 World Cup.
Garcia took Belgium to the quarter-finals of the competition, where they lost to eventual winners Spain after a late error from substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens proved costly.
Philipp Lahm urges Germany to avoid copying Spain style
“We need to rediscover the identity of the German national team,” Lahm tells Kicker. “We don’t need to copy Spain and their possession-based style of play; we have our own strengths. Defensive organization, physical, resilient football, and then attacking – that’s what has always defined us as a national team.
“We should return to that, with clearly defined roles and a clear formation so that repetition and consistency can develop in both training and matches. And at some point, personnel changes have to be made if someone consistently fails to perform. If we become more decisive and consistent in these areas again, we’ll find our way out of this slump, even though it has already lasted for a very long time.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic abruptly quits punditry after World Cup final
Zlatan Ibrahimovic appeared to quit punditry following the World Cup final with the former AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain star declaring: “This was the first and last time for me”.
Former Sweden international Ibrahimovic formed part of the Fox Sports punditry crew during the World Cup and was stationed between Thierry Henry, the former World Cup champion with France, and Alexi Lalas, the former US international, along with host Rebecca Lowe.
