World Cup 2026 final takeaways: Spain beats Argentina in extra time

Here are the key takeaways from the biggest game in sports:

Spain strangled the life out of this game and forced an unwilling Argentina to adapt to its style

The Spanish national team can play in a myriad of styles, but it's best known for the high-possession tiki taka it used to win the World Cup in 2010. Coach Luis de la Fuente paid homage to that history by encouraging his Spanish side to keep Argentina off the ball for as much as possible. It's not a tactic Spain used often in this tournament—its possession stats were fairly even against strong teams like France and Portugal—but it worked a treat here. De la Fuente clearly thought that Argentina would lose its head if it were forced to chase Spain for 90 minutes. He was, as it turned out, utterly correct about that.

In the third minute of added time, with thirty minutes of extra time looming, Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez summed up his team's night by fouling Spanish defender Pau Cubarsi in the center of the park. It was a needless challenge drawn from frustration, and Fernandez—already on a yellow card for arguing with the referee earlier in the half—was rightfully sent off for his infraction. His frustration was Argentina's frustration, writ large and served in red.

The final stats made for grim reading for the Albiceleste. Spain managed 20 shots throughout the match; Argentina managed two.

Emi 'Dibu' Martinez had the game of his career

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi "Dibu" Martinez was the star of Argentina's last World Cup final: his antics in the penalty shootout earned the Albiceleste its 2022 title. He's known as a big-game player, and he delivered on that reputation today in a big way. His 11 saves set an all-time World Cup final record (the previous was just eight) and kept Argentina in the match despite Spain's endless assault.

Argentina lost this battle in New Jersey, but Martinez was the most impressive player on the field regardless. In a game where superstars like Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal failed to shine, Martinez's efforts looked downright otherworldly.

For the first time in a long time, Argentina lost the fan vote

Fans have come out in the millions for this North American World Cup, but no team has seen more of them than Argentina. The nation's blue and white jerseys have dominated stadiums all summer. Neutral fans saw Messi's stellar tournament unfolding and decided to throw their weight behind the Albiceleste, and much of the chatter around the team was breathless, positive and laden with hero-worship.

Not anymore. Spain's tactics in this final firmly framed Argentina as a villain, and its increasingly petulant performance caused neutral fans to turn on it for the first time. Let this be a lesson to soccer coaches everywhere: it doesn't matter how big your superstars are if you've got a supporting cast baiting its opponent as egregiously as Argentina's did in this World Cup final.

International soccer will take a long, well-deserved break following this World Cup final. New fans looking to watch more of the sport should seek out Major League Soccer, which has already resumed full action in the United States—the league will run its next full slate of games on Wednesday.