Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, with Ferran Torres scoring in extra time. Spain's second men's World Cup title was widely praised as a fitting reward for their technically superior performance, in which they dominated possession at 65 per cent and registered 20 shots including 11 on target.
Spain teenager Lamine Yamal, 19 years and six days, has won both the World Cup and Euros, making him the youngest player to achieve the double. The article compares his symbolic embrace with Lionel Messi at the World Cup final to a passing of the torch, noting Yamal recovered from a hamstring injury to play a key role in Spain's tournament run.
Spain advanced to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final with a 2-0 semi-final victory over France, with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal's first-half penalty and Pedro Porro's second-half strike securing the win on Tuesday night.
Spain defeated France in the semi-final with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro, advancing to the World Cup final on Sunday. The Spanish side controlled the match with disciplined defending and will face the winner of Saturday's other semi-final.
Mikel Merino scored an injury-time winner for Spain as they knocked Portugal out of the World Cup in Dallas, ending Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup career. Spain will face either the United States or Belgium in the quarter-final.
Spain won a men's World Cup knockout match for the first time in 16 years, defeating Austria 3-0 in Los Angeles to reach the last 16. Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal (twice) and Pedro Porro secured Spain's comfortable victory.
The 18-year-old Lamine Yamal started Spain's match against Saudi Arabia after being limited to 19 minutes in their previous goalless draw with Cape Verde, and was central to Spain's dominant 4-0 performance. His impact lifted the atmosphere and transformed the first half with confident play that impressed former team-mate Cesar Azpilicueta.
FIFA World Cup debutants Cabo Verde, a nation of just over 500,000 people, secured a 0-0 draw against Spain. Cabo Verde were tightly organised throughout, with goalkeeper Vozinha making several key saves to frustrate Spain's attacks despite the European side's dominance in possession.
Debutant Cape Verde, ranked 67th and the third-smallest country by population to qualify for a World Cup, produced a shock result by drawing 0–0 with second-ranked reigning European champions Spain in their Group H opening match in Atlanta.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente named a 26-man World Cup squad featuring Lamine Yamal but with no Real Madrid players, ahead of the tournament beginning in June. Spain, Euro 2024 champions who reached the round of 16 in 2022, open their campaign against Cape Verde on June 15.