Sport

2026 World Cup: Spain champion, Argentina defeated in final

Herz — Sport Desk · 20 July 2026 at 04:44 · 30s summary · 3 min read

The essentials

Spain won the FIFA 2026 World Cup by defeating Argentina in the final on July 19, 2026, according to France 24 and concordant sources. Ranked first in the FIFA rankings, La Roja claimed their second world title, sixteen years after 2010. Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni was seen in tears after the loss and questioned his future with the national team. Lionel Messi, 39, scored 8 goals during the tournament. On July 18, 2026, French coach Didier Deschamps ended his 14-year tenure after France's elimination in the semi-finals by Spain (2-0). The complete Spanish royal family—King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía—attended the final together.

Spain defeats Argentina in the final on July 19, 2026, winning their second world title.
Lionel Scaloni, in tears after the defeat, questions his future leading Argentina.
Lionel Messi, 39, scored 8 goals in the tournament and was called the best player of the 2026 World Cup.
Didier Deschamps ends his 14-year tenure with France on July 18, 2026, after their semi-final loss to Spain.
The complete Spanish royal family—Felipe VI, Letizia, Leonor and Sofía—attended the final together.

Coppa del Mondo 2026: la Spagna campione, l'Argentina sconfitta in finale — Attributed to Lo Spagna, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

What we know

Spain won the FIFA 2026 World Cup by defeating Argentina in the final on July 19, 2026, according to France 24 and several concordant sources. Ranked first in the FIFA rankings, La Roja claimed their second world title, sixteen years after 2010.

The Albiceleste—nickname for the Argentine national team, affiliated with the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino—were defending their 2022 title. The team had 14 consecutive victories before the final and was ranked third in the FIFA rankings.

Lionel Messi, 39 years old, scored 8 goals during the tournament and was aiming for the Golden Boot—awarded to the competition's top scorer. He was described as the best player of the 2026 World Cup.

Argentina camp's reaction

Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni was seen in tears after the defeat. He questioned his future leading the national team, but made no definitive announcement.

Spanish royal family united in the stands

King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía attended the final together on July 19, 2026. This was the first time all four members of the Spanish royal family made an official joint trip outside Spain.

Around the final

Somali referee Omar Artan, designated for the final, was denied entry to the United States by the Trump administration before the match.

In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani—a democratic socialist and the city's first Muslim mayor—organized public watch parties across all five boroughs and offered discounted tickets for the final.

Bangladesh, whose national team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, collectively adopts Argentina as its favorite team at each edition. This phenomenon was documented by the New York Times in an article published on July 18, 2026.

On the French side: Deschamps departs, Zidane awaited

France was eliminated in the semi-final by Spain with a score of 2-0, in Arlington, Texas. On July 18, 2026, after the third-place match against England, Didier Deschamps, 57 years old, ended his 14-year tenure leading the French national team.

Deschamps had won the world title in 2018 and reached five semi-finals across seven major competitions. He held the record of 27 World Cup matches directed as a national team coach.

Zinedine Zidane, 54 years old, is the most expected successor. He had called the position of national team coach a 'dream'.