Describing a result as a ‘victory for football’ might seem like a trite cliche – but you won’t find many neutrals disagreeing with that description of Spain’s win in the 2026 World Cup final.
When Ferran Torres slammed in the extra-time winner, and Rodri lifted the trophy high in New Jersey, it is hard to imagine many will have had sympathy for Argentina.
Spain triumphed in a battle of endurance, for players and spectators, to beat the Argentines and win their second men’s World Cup.
On every football metric – and, some would say, morality too – this was the right result.
“There is no doubt that the right team won,” former England captain Alan Shearer said on BBC One. “From start to finish, Spain controlled possession. They were the ones looking to play football, create chances and get in behind.
“This is a result for football because of the way that they have played. Spain deserve it.”
Spain had 65% possession, an expected goals tally of 1.94 and 20 shots on goal – 11 on target.
At the other end, goalkeeper Unai Simon kept his seventh clean sheet in eight matches as he won the Golden Glove for the tournament’s best goalkeeper.
Spain conceded just one goal at the 2026 World Cup – the fewest conceded by any winning team. (BBC)
