The Argentina men’s national football team lost 1-0 against Spain in the 2026 World Cup, a result that allowed La Roja to win the second title in its history.

It was a torrid game for the Albiceleste, who struggled from kickoff to take charge of the match. Spain saw most of the ball, with only sporadic counterattacks for Argentina, who failed to produce a shot on target.

It proved a tough game for Argentina, who lost centerbacks Lisandro Martínez and Cristian Romero, as well as striker Julián Álvarez, to injury and exhaustion throughout the game.

Argentina also did a good job of nullifying its rival, who couldn’t create many big chances. As such, the game went to extra time after neither was able to open the scoring.

In the 93rd minute of added time, Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández was sent off after getting his second yellow card for a harsh tackle on Spain’s Pau Cubarsí.

At the start of the second half of extra time, striker Ferran Torres opened the scoring with a shot inside the box from a back pass from Nico Williams.

Argentina began to get some steam after the goal as Spain dropped deeper to defend the lead. They had a few chances to tie the game but were unable to break the Spanish defense.

Spain wins the second title in its history, after first winning the World Cup in 2010, also with a goal in extra time.

Spain’s road to the title

One of the biggest favorites ahead of the tournament, Spain didn’t start the road to the 2026 World Cup final in the best way. 

A surprising 0-0 tie against Cape Verde saw head coach Luis De La Fuente’s team unable to break the deadlock, thanks to a memorable performance by goalkeeper Vozinha.

Things quickly improved with a 4-0 win against Saudi Arabia and a 1-0 victory in the last group stage game against Uruguay, thanks to a mistake by Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

La Roja showed its best game in a round of 32 3-0 victory over Austria at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The team dominated the match from start to finish, converting its overwhelming possession into goals.

They required a bigger effort in the round of 16 against Portugal, where only a 91st-minute effort by Mikel Merino saved De La Fuente’s team from going to extra time. 

In the quarterfinals, against Belgium, Merino once again secured the result for Spain with a 2-1 victory in the closing moments, thanks to a mistake by goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

It set up a top-level duel between the two biggest European favorites, as Spain took on France. Despite the French team’s incredible performances in previous games, Spain dismantled its opponent, taking a well-earned 2-0 win.

Cover image: Selección Española twitter