Who Won the World Cup 2026 — Champions, Final Result & All Awards
Available in USSpain won the 2026 FIFA World Cup, defeating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final at MetLife Stadium on 19 July 2026. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the 106th minute to secure Spain’s second World Cup title, sixteen years after their first triumph in 2010. The victory completed a historic double for Spain, who now hold both the European Championship (Euro 2024) and the World Cup simultaneously. England finished third after beating France 6-4 in the bronze-medal match, while France took fourth place.
Spain crowned 2026 World Cup champions, with Argentina as runners-up and England claiming the bronze medal
Contents
- Tournament Winners — Final Standings
- The Final — Spain 1-0 Argentina (AET)
- Third Place — England 6-4 France
- Individual Awards — Golden Boot, Golden Ball & Golden Glove
- How Each Award Was Priced
- Spain’s Route to Glory
- Argentina’s Runner-Up Campaign
- England’s Bronze Medal Run
- Tournament Records & Milestones
- Top Scorers — Final Golden Boot Leaderboard
- Where to Bet on 2030 World Cup Early Markets
Tournament Winners — Final Standings
The 2026 FIFA World Cup concluded on 19 July with Spain lifting the trophy. The final standings:
| Position | Team | How Decided |
|---|---|---|
| 1st — Champions | Spain | Beat Argentina 1-0 (aet) in the final |
| 2nd — Runners-up | Argentina | Lost the final |
| 3rd — Bronze Medal | England | Beat France 6-4 in the third-place play-off |
| 4th | France | Lost the bronze-medal match |
Spain’s victory marks their second World Cup title (2010, 2026) and establishes them as the first European nation to hold the European Championship and World Cup simultaneously in the modern era. They are also the first nation in football history to hold both the men’s and women’s World Cups at the same time, following their women’s team’s 2023 triumph.
The Final — Spain 1-0 Argentina (AET)
Venue: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Date: 19 July 2026
Attendance: 80,663
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)
Scorers:
- Ferran Torres 106′ (Spain)
The final remained goalless through ninety minutes before Ferran Torres struck in the 106th minute of extra time to settle the contest. The Spanish substitute converted a Nico Williams header — two substitutes combining for the World Cup-winning goal — to break Argentine resistance and deliver Spain’s second world title.
Argentina played the entire thirty minutes of extra time with ten men after Enzo Fernández was sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time (90+3′). Emiliano Martínez made eleven saves — a World Cup final record — but could not prevent Torres’s late strike.
Closing odds (to lift the trophy):
- Spain: 1.67 (4/6) — WON
- Argentina: 2.30 (13/10)
Third Place — England 6-4 France
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Date: 18 July 2026
England secured third place — their best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966 — by beating France 6-4 in an extraordinary ten-goal thriller. Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick as England came from behind twice to overhaul France in the highest-scoring World Cup match since 1982.
Individual Awards — Golden Boot, Golden Ball & Golden Glove
FIFA announced the individual awards immediately after the final. Spain swept the team-based awards, while France’s Kylian Mbappé took the Golden Boot despite his side’s fourth-place finish.
Golden Boot — Kylian Mbappé (France)
Winner: Kylian Mbappé (France) — 10 goals
Runner-up: Lionel Messi (Argentina) — 8 goals
Mbappé became the first player to win the Golden Boot at two World Cups, having previously claimed the award in 2022 with eight goals. His ten-goal haul in 2026 included a decisive brace in the bronze-medal match that sealed the award. Mbappé also set a new all-time World Cup career scoring record with 22 goals in 22 matches, surpassing Messi’s previous mark of 21.
Top scorers (final table):
| Position | Player | Nation | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 10 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 |
| 3= | Erling Haaland | Norway | 7 |
| 3= | Jude Bellingham | England | 7 |
| 5= | Harry Kane | England | 6 |
| 5= | Ousmane Dembélé | France | 6 |
Golden Ball — Rodri (Spain)
Winner: Rodri (Spain)
Silver Ball: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Bronze Ball: Kylian Mbappé (France)
Rodri claimed the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, capping a remarkable comeback from the ruptured ACL he sustained in September 2024. The Spanish captain anchored the midfield throughout the tournament, setting a new single-edition record for completed passes (approximately 756) and guiding Spain to a perfect eight wins from eight matches.
Rodri’s award was the biggest upset among the individual honours. Messi had been the pre-final favourite at around 1/9 (1.11 decimal), but the 39-year-old was held scoreless in the final and finished with the Silver Ball. Rodri was priced around 10/1 (11.0) before the final — his victory delivered a windfall for those who had backed the Spanish midfielder.
Golden Glove — Unai Simón (Spain)
Winner: Unai Simón (Spain)
Unai Simón claimed the Golden Glove as the tournament’s best goalkeeper, setting multiple records in the process. The Spanish shot-stopper recorded seven clean sheets across Spain’s eight matches — a new single-edition record — and extended his consecutive World Cup clean-sheet streak to six matches spanning the 2022 and 2026 tournaments.
Spain conceded just one goal in eight matches — the fewest ever by a World Cup winner — with Simón’s excellence between the posts central to their defensive dominance.
Best Young Player — Pau Cubarsí (Spain)
Winner: Pau Cubarsí (Spain)
Nineteen-year-old defender Pau Cubarsí claimed the Best Young Player award after a commanding tournament at the heart of Spain’s defence. The Barcelona centre-back started all eight matches and was instrumental in Spain’s record-breaking defensive performance.
How Each Award Was Priced
The individual awards produced a mix of expected outcomes and significant upsets. Here is how the pre-final betting markets compared to the final results:
Golden Ball — The Biggest Upset
Market favourite: Lionel Messi (approximately 1/9 or 1.11)
Result: Rodri won at approximately 10/1 (11.0) — BIGGEST UPSET
This was the one award where the market got it wrong. Messi was heavily backed to claim a record-extending Golden Ball, but the 39-year-old’s scoreless final and Argentina’s defeat opened the door for Rodri. The Spanish captain’s all-action performance and Spain’s title triumph earned him the award from a longshot price.
Spain’s Route to Glory
Spain won all eight of their matches, progressing through the tournament without a single defeat or draw. Their route to the title:
Group H (winners, 7 points):
- Beat Cape Verde 3-0
- Beat Saudi Arabia 2-0
- Beat Uruguay 1-0
Knockout Stage:
- Round of 32: Beat Austria 3-0
- Round of 16: Beat Portugal 1-0
- Quarter-final: Beat Belgium 2-1
- Semi-final: Beat France 2-0
- Final: Beat Argentina 1-0 (aet)
Spain’s perfect record was built on defensive excellence. They conceded just one goal across the eight matches and recorded seven clean sheets. Their ability to grind out narrow victories against high-quality opposition demonstrated both resilience and tactical discipline.
Argentina’s Runner-Up Campaign
Argentina came agonisingly close to becoming the first nation to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. They won seven matches before falling to Spain in the final.
Lionel Messi finished the tournament with eight goals and four assists, claiming the Silver Ball. At 39, this was widely reported as his final World Cup appearance. Despite the defeat, Messi extended his records for most World Cup appearances (33) and most World Cup assists (12, the all-time career mark).
England’s Bronze Medal Run
England secured their best World Cup finish since 1966 by claiming the bronze medal. The third-place finish represents progress for England, who reached the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup and finished as Euro 2020 runners-up.
Jude Bellingham (7 goals) and Harry Kane (6 goals) were England’s leading scorers, with Bukayo Saka’s bronze-match hat-trick sealing third place.
Tournament Records & Milestones
The 2026 World Cup was the largest in history and produced numerous records:
Tournament-Level Records
- First 48-team, 104-match World Cup (expanded format)
- Record total attendance: 6,810,966 (average 65,490 per match)
- Most goals in a World Cup: 308 in 104 matches (2.96 per match)
- Highest-scoring match since 1982: England 6-4 France (10 goals)
Spain’s Records
- Fewest goals conceded by a World Cup winner: 1 in 8 matches
- Most clean sheets in a single edition: 7 (Unai Simón)
- Longest international unbeaten run: 38 matches
- First nation to hold men’s and women’s World Cups simultaneously
Individual Records
- All-time World Cup career goals: Kylian Mbappé (22 in 22 matches)
- First player to win Golden Boot at two World Cups: Kylian Mbappé
- Most saves in a World Cup final: Emiliano Martínez (11)
- Most assists in a single World Cup: Michael Olise (7)
Top Scorers — Final Golden Boot Leaderboard
| # | Player | Nation | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 10 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 |
| 3= | Erling Haaland | Norway | 7 |
| 3= | Jude Bellingham | England | 7 |
| 5= | Harry Kane | England | 6 |
| 5= | Ousmane Dembélé | France | 6 |
Where to Bet on 2030 World Cup Early Markets
With the 2026 tournament now complete, attention turns to the 2030 World Cup, which will be hosted across six countries: Spain, Portugal and Morocco (main hosts), with centenary celebration matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
Irish punters can access 2030 World Cup markets through licensed operators including Boomerang Bet.com, BetiBet, Blitz.bet, ZotaBet, Spinstar.bet, BillyBets, MrPacho, LamaBet, WinRolla and RichRoyal. All accept EUR and offer fractional and decimal odds.
- Spain won the 2026 World Cup, beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time
- England finished third, France fourth
- Kylian Mbappé won the Golden Boot with 10 goals (all-time record 22 career goals)
- Rodri won the Golden Ball from 10/1, upsetting favourite Messi
- Unai Simón won the Golden Glove with 7 clean sheets
- Spain conceded just 1 goal in 8 matches — fewest ever by World Cup winner
Last updated: 20 July 2026 | Final tournament standings confirmed
