FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 · UNITED STATES · CANADA · MEXICO

Spain are world champions

🇪🇸 Spain
1–0
AET
·
Argentina 🇦🇷
Final · Sunday 19 July 2026 · New York New Jersey Stadium · Goal: Ferran Torres

Tournament at a glance

First 48-team World Cup, co-hosted across three countries, 11 June – 19 July 2026
Champion
🇪🇸 Spain
2nd title (also 2010)
Runner-up
🇦🇷 Argentina
Lost bid for back-to-back titles
Third place
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England
Beat France 6–4 in bronze final
Teams / Matches
48 / 104
16 host cities, 3 nations
How Spain won it›
Spain beat Argentina 1–0 after extra time in the final, with the only goal coming from Ferran Torres. It's Spain's second World Cup, following their 2010 win. Midfielder Rodri anchored the run to the trophy and was named the tournament's best player.
Argentina's near-miss›
Lionel Messi, 39, led Argentina back to the final in pursuit of consecutive titles, overcoming Cabo Verde, Egypt, Switzerland and England along the way with a run of late goals and comebacks — but came up just short against Spain.
Hosts' fortunes›
All three co-hosts were eliminated in the Round of 16: Canada lost to Morocco, Mexico fell to England, and the USA were knocked out by Belgium.
Bronze final thriller›
England beat France 6–4 in the third-place match in Miami — their best World Cup finish since winning on home soil in 1966. Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick, while Kylian Mbappé grabbed two for France.

Road to the final

Spain's side of the bracket, shown in full · scroll to see all rounds
Round of 32
Spain3
Austria0
Portugal2
Croatia1
Belgium3
Senegal2 (AET)
USA2
Bosnia-Herz.0 (AET)
Round of 16
Spain1
Portugal0
Belgium4
USA1
Quarter-final
Spain2
Belgium1
Semi-final
Spain2
France0
Final
Spain1
Argentina0 (AET)

Argentina's side

Messi's run through the draw, and the England/France half
Round of 32
Argentina3
Cabo Verde2 (AET)
Egypt1 (4)
Australia1 (2) pens
England2
Congo DR1 (AET)
France3
Sweden0
Round of 16
Argentina3
Egypt2
England3
Mexico2
Quarter-final
Argentina3
Switzerland1
England2
Norway1 (AET)
Semi-final
Argentina2
England1
Bronze final
England6
France4

Individual awards

FIFA's official end-of-tournament honors
AwardWinnerNote
Golden Ball (best player)Rodri (Spain)Anchored Spain's midfield all campaign
Silver BallLionel Messi (Argentina)8 goals, 4 assists
Bronze BallKylian Mbappé (France)All-time leading World Cup scorer
Golden Boot (top scorer)Kylian Mbappé (France)10 goals — most since Gerd Müller, 1970
Silver BootLionel Messi (Argentina)8 goals
Bronze BootJude Bellingham (England)7 goals
Golden Glove (best keeper)Unai Simón (Spain)7 clean sheets, 1 goal conceded all tournament
Young Player of the TournamentPau Cubarsí (Spain)
Fair Play AwardNetherlandsEliminated in Round of 32 by Morocco (pens)
Goal of the TournamentSidny Lopes Cabral (Cabo Verde)Scored vs Argentina, Round of 32

Top scorers

#PlayerTeamGoals
1Kylian MbappéFrance10
2Lionel MessiArgentina8
3Jude BellinghamEngland7
3Erling HaalandNorway7
5Harry KaneEngland6
5Ousmane DembéléFrance6

Group stage notes

12 groups of four, top two plus 8 best third-placed teams advanced
Group A — Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia›
Mexico won the group, beating South Africa 2–0, Korea Republic 1–0 and Czechia 3–0. South Africa and Korea Republic drew their meeting.
Group C — Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland›
Brazil progressed from the group but were eliminated later by Norway in the knockout rounds. Morocco advanced and went on their surprise run to the quarter-finals.
Group with Canada — Canada, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Switzerland, Qatar›
Switzerland topped the group after beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 4–1 and Canada 3–1. Canada still advanced but were eliminated by Morocco in the Round of 16.
Notable upsets›
Cabo Verde reached the Round of 32 and pushed Argentina before losing on penalties — their goal in that match was voted Goal of the Tournament. Norway, inspired by Erling Haaland, ran to the quarter-finals before losing to England in extra time.
Full 12-group standings, every fixture and goal-by-goal detail are on FIFA's official site — this view focuses on the storylines your audience will care about most. Swap in your own groups/scorelines here if you want the full 48-team breakdown.
Built for presentation · Reproduce freely by saving this HTML file · Source: FIFA.com, tournament reporting, July 2026