Spain and UNICEF stole the show: Winners, losers of World Cup final
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After 104 matches across 16 cities in three countries, Spain reigns supreme in the 2026 World Cup.
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La Roja won the tournament by beating Argentina 1-0 in the final on Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. This is their first title since 2010.
Lionel Messi and Argentina were neutralized and did not have a shot on goal in the entire match, which went into extra time.
After both teams won their groups and then clawed their way through the knockout rounds, a charity photo from 2007 of a young Messi giving a baby Lamine Yamal a bath went viral as a wink of destiny.
Here are the winners and losers of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina:
Winners
Spain
If you would have told football fans that Spain was going to win the World Cup after their scoreless opening draw with newcomer Cape Verde, they would have laughed. But La Roja gutted out the tournament as one of the most well-rounded sides playing. Besides winning their second men's World Cup, which is their first since 2010, La Roja nearly ran the table with the player awards, too. AND they are the first country to hold both the men's and women's World Cup titles at the same ... darn ... time.
Emiliano Martínez
The Argentina goalkeeper had his work cut out for him as Spain dominated in possession. He broke the World Cup final record with 11 saves in the match, including diving to swat away Lamine Yamal's free kick in second half stoppage time. Even though Argentina lost, Martínez can hold his head high.
Cape Verde
Cape Verde is truly the people's champion of the 2026 World Cup. The African nation made its debut in the tournament this summer and rattled Spain in the opening match. They then had Argentina's back against the ropes in the round of 32. Knowing that they gave tough fights to the eventual runner-up and champion, the Blue Sharks have to feel good.
UNICEF
That photo of a young Lionel Messi bathing a baby Lamine Yamal was absolutely EVERYWHERE leading up to the World Cup final. It is actually from a charity photo shoot that UNICEF put together back in 2007. The non-profit was already somewhat of a household name, but this embeds them deep into sports history in a way that no publicist could ever plan.
Losers
Argentina
Argentina's late surge did not come against a Spain team that controlled the entire World Cup final. And, after a tournament riddled with controversy, the side didn't even show a glimpse of greatness in the match. Instead, their highlight reel will feature Enzo Fernández's second yellow card in the second half, which equaled a red card. He was ejected and Argentina was forced to continue with 10 players. They finished the fixture with absolutely ZERO shots on goal, far from a performance that they will want to remember.
Donald Trump
President Donald Trump was in attendance at the World Cup final along with members of his family and other dignitaries. He has attempted to position himself as an influential decision-maker in the tournament, including taking credit for having Folarin Balogun's red card rescinded. The president was booed when he came on the pitch to award the medals and trophy to Spain and then made a fool of himself by sticking around too long.
Chris Martin, FIFA, whoever's responsible for World Cup halftime show
We will always love "Yellow," but the Coldplay frontman let us down with the extremely chaotic World Cup halftime show, which he was supposedly in charge of curating. FIFA was clearly gunning for the Super Bowl with the performance, the first of its kind at the global tournament. But where the NFL is thoughtful in getting a single, or sometimes a few, popular stars to deliver an artful performance, World Cup organizers provided a disjointed, throbbing mish mash that was simply hard to watch.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Spain and UNICEF stole the show: Winners, losers of World Cup final