Argentina and Spain players clashed on the pitch at the end of a bad-tempered World Cup final in New Jersey with Leandro Paredes and Eric García involved in a physical confrontation seconds after the final whistle. Paredes, who had been given a yellow card during the game, also got in a pushing match with Barcelona midfielder Gavi. The Argentina midfielder was given a second yellow card for the post-match scuffle,…
Kylian Mbappé has won the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals after Lionel Messi failed to score in Sunday’s final against Spain. The France striker scored twice against England in a 6-4 defeat in the third-place playoff to extend his total for the tournament. Mbappé saw off competition from Argentina‘s Messi (eight goals), Norway‘s Erling Haaland (seven), England’s Jude Bellingham (seven) and Harry Kane (six) and teammate Ousmane…
Spain have set a new mark for an undefeated run in international football after beating Argentina 1-0 in Sunday’s World Cup final. The win extends Spain’s unbeaten run to 38 matches without losing, breaking a tie with Italy. The shutout win over Argentina was Spain’s seventh clean sheet of the 2026 World Cup, and they become the first team to win the tournament while only conceding one goal. Spain pulled…
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Ferran Torres clinched Spain‘s second World Cup title with an extra-time winner against reigning world champions Argentina in a bad-tempered final marred by Enzo Fernández’s red card for a reckless foul on Pau Cubarsí. Barcelona forward Torres, a 62nd-minute substitute for Mikel Oyarzabal, sealed a 1-0 win for the European champions when he struck from close range in the 106th minute after Nico Williams had headed…
Argentina centre-back Lisandro Martínez was forced off in the first half of the World Cup final against Spain. The Manchester United defender, a key man at the back for Lionel Scaloni’s side, pointed to his thigh and held his shirt over his face before being taken off in the 44th minute. Nicolás Otamendi, 38, came on in his place. Martínez leads Argentina in clearances (34) and is second in defensive…
Lionel Messi has officially become the first man ever to start in three World Cup finals, after starting for Argentina as they take on Spain in a blockbuster battle for the world’s most famous trophy. 39-year-old Messi is also captaining his country tonight as they seek back-to-back World Cup triumphs. Messi is also now the oldest outfield player to ever appear in a World Cup final. The Argentina talisman has…
Harry Kane admitted England will be “grieving” their World Cup heartbreak for some time to come although he backed Thomas Tuchel to stay on as head coach. England were five minutes of normal time away from a first men’s final in 60 years but Argentina turned a 1-0 deficit in Atlanta on Wednesday into a 2-1 victory courtesy of two late goals. While England rebounded with a dizzying 6-4 win…
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Argentina have made three changes to the starting lineup for the 2026 World Cup final against Spain, with Rodrigo De Paul, Nico González and Gonzalo Montiel set to kick off for the defending champions. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni chose to bench winger Giuliano Simeone, midfielder Leandro Paredes and defender Nahuel Molina, after the three players started the semifinal match against England on Wednesday in Atlanta. –…
Former Spain defender Joan Capdevila has made it to the United States to watch the World Cup final after being denied authorization to travel a decade after playing in an exhibition game in Iran. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in an email to The Associated Press that it received a request to allow Capdevila into the country. It said it reviewed the request and Capdevila arrived in the U.S.…
Senne Lammens will come back from his FIFA World Cup frustration as a better goalkeeper, Manchester United teammate Tom Heaton has said. Lammens was at fault in Belgium’s 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Spain when he spilt Pau Cubarsi’s 25-yard strike into the path of Mikel Merino, who fired into the roof of the net for an 88th-minute winner. Lammens had come off the bench to replace an injured Thibaut Courtois…