Spain are world champions once again after a dominant FIFA World Cup campaign, defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final. But beyond the result, the tournament has sparked fierce debate over contrasting footballing philosophies, refereeing decisions and the narratives that shaped the competition.

FIFA final: Spain’s absolute domination over Argentina explained

In this episode of In Focus, we unpack Spain’s rise under Luis de la Fuente, how their possession-based game has evolved since 2010, and why they emerged as the tournament’s standout team. We also examine Argentina’s gritty run to the final, the criticism of its physical approach, and whether allegations of favourable refereeing and FIFA bias stand up to scrutiny.

Guest: Sandeep Menon, journalist and author

Host: Reuben Joe Joseph

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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For 120 minutes, Spain did what no other team at this World Cup had managed.

It found a way to keep Lionel Messi quiet.

The plan was simple in theory but brutally difficult in practice. Every time the 39-year-old drifted towards the right flank, another red shirt arrived. His every passing lane closed and every familiar slalom towards his left foot was met by bodies rather than space.

“The first idea was to keep Messi at bay,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente admitted afterwards. He had learned his lesson when a 16-year-old Messi had terrorised his Sevilla team in an under-19 match in 2004.

But here, rather than man-marking the Argentine talisman, the Spanish coach looked at cutting the supply and isolating Messi. The Argentine captain managed only 15 touches in the first half and 54 across the entire final. There was no trademark curling finish, no defence-splitting pass, no decisive intervention.

The overwhelming majority of the 80,663 spectators had come hoping to witness another coronation. They wanted to see the man who had already given them one of football’s greatest endings add one final chapter by lifting a second World Cup.

Instead, the faithful watched him leave in tears.

It was here in MetLife in 2016, when Messi had missed in the Copa America final shootout against Chile and announced his international retirement before making a comeback 47 days later to complete his redemption arc.

Ten years later, he returned to the same stadium seeking one final crown, only for it to deny him again.

As Spain celebrated at the centre circle, Messi and his teammates walked towards the Argentina supporters gathered behind the southern goal. The applause that greeted them was as loud as anything heard all evening. Spain’s players, too, understood the moment.

Several, including Lamine Yamal, crossed the pitch to embrace Messi after the final whistle. Later, as Argentina climbed the podium to collect its runner-up medals, the new world champion formed a guard of honour. A few patted him on the back, Messi tried to smile, but the disappointment was hard to contain.

One match, however, cannot rewrite a career.

Messi leaves the World Cup as its most enduring presence with 34 appearances, 23 victories, 21 goals, 27 matches as captain, seven goals from outside the penalty area, 10 knockout-stage assists and, above all, the man who finally completed football’s greatest story by lifting the trophy in 2022. He remains the only player to score in every knockout round of a World Cup-winning campaign.

Spain may have denied him one final triumph, but no one can take away the imprint he has left on this tournament.

For generations to come, the World Cup’s story will be retold through many champions, but few names will echo as deeply as that of Lionel Messi’s.

For 120 minutes, Spain did what no other team at this World Cup had managed.

It found a way to keep Lionel Messi quiet.

The plan was simple in theory but brutally difficult in practice. Every time the 39-year-old drifted towards the right flank, another red shirt arrived. His every passing lane closed and every familiar slalom towards his left foot was met by bodies rather than space.

“The first idea was to keep Messi at bay,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente admitted afterwards. He had learned his lesson when a 16-year-old Messi had terrorised his Sevilla team in an under-19 match in 2004.

But here, rather than man-marking the Argentine talisman, the Spanish coach looked at cutting the supply and isolating Messi. The Argentine captain managed only 15 touches in the first half and 54 across the entire final. There was no trademark curling finish, no defence-splitting pass, no decisive intervention.

The overwhelming majority of the 80,663 spectators had come hoping to witness another coronation. They wanted to see the man who had already given them one of football’s greatest endings add one final chapter by lifting a second World Cup.

Instead, the faithful watched him leave in tears.

It was here in MetLife in 2016, when Messi had missed in the Copa America final shootout against Chile and announced his international retirement before making a comeback 47 days later to complete his redemption arc.

Ten years later, he returned to the same stadium seeking one final crown, only for it to deny him again.

As Spain celebrated at the centre circle, Messi and his teammates walked towards the Argentina supporters gathered behind the southern goal. The applause that greeted them was as loud as anything heard all evening. Spain’s players, too, understood the moment.

Several, including Lamine Yamal, crossed the pitch to embrace Messi after the final whistle. Later, as Argentina climbed the podium to collect its runner-up medals, the new world champion formed a guard of honour. A few patted him on the back, Messi tried to smile, but the disappointment was hard to contain.

One match, however, cannot rewrite a career.

Messi leaves the World Cup as its most enduring presence with 34 appearances, 23 victories, 21 goals, 27 matches as captain, seven goals from outside the penalty area, 10 knockout-stage assists and, above all, the man who finally completed football’s greatest story by lifting the trophy in 2022. He remains the only player to score in every knockout round of a World Cup-winning campaign.

Spain may have denied him one final triumph, but no one can take away the imprint he has left on this tournament.

For generations to come, the World Cup’s story will be retold through many champions, but few names will echo as deeply as that of Lionel Messi’s.

Lionel Scaloni admitted Spain deserved to be crowned world champions but said he could not have asked for more from his Argentina players after their 1-0 extra-time defeat in the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday (July 19, 2026).

The defending champions pushed Spain into extra-time despite playing the closing stages with 10 men after Enzo Fernandez’s stoppage-time red card, before Ferran Torres finally settled the contest.

Spain vs Argentina, FIFA World Cup final Highlights

“I feel sad,” Scaloni said. “They were better, that’s true, but I will have tremendous memories of what my players achieved. We are great in victory and must be so in defeat as well. Tonight, we showed that we know how to lose. We lost, and we accept it.”

The Argentina coach thanked the squad that had carried the nation to a second successive World Cup final after another remarkable tournament.

“Endless thanks to these players who once again took us to the final. If they give everything the way they did today, it sets a great example for the people and for our country. When you leave everything like that, it’s very hard to find fault with anything.”

Tribute to Messi

Scaloni also paid tribute to Lionel Messi, who finished what is expected to be his final World Cup with eight goals after another outstanding campaign.

“He’s 39 years old now. It was crystal clear for me that he was going to play until he decided not to,” Scaloni said. “I hope everyone feels proud of him because he’s the best football player ever to set foot on a pitch. What he did during this World Cup was incredible.”

Argentina’s Lionel Messi and coach Lionel Scaloni embrace after a World Cup
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

The 48-year-old then became visibly emotional while discussing his own future, with his contract due to expire later this year.

“I will talk to the president. I think it’s only fair that I take this time for myself,” he said. “In order to continue, you need to reset your mind. Creating a group like this again is very difficult.”

Scaloni paused, apologised to reporters and walked out of the press conference in tears, bringing an emotional end to Argentina’s reign as world champion.

Thousands of ecstatic Spanish fans in Madrid bellowed out the Queen song “We Are the Champions” following Spain’s victory in the World Cup final on Sunday (July 19, 2026).

Even passengers on an Iberia flight were treated to the anthem by the British rock band.

The Iberia pilot could barely contain himself after safely landing the plane at Madrid airport, announcing: “We are world champions, ladies and gentlemen, dear passengers.”

La Roja — as the national side is known — beat 2022 champions Argentina 1-0 after extra time in New Jersey to secure their second ‘star’ having also won in 2010.

No one in Madrid was likely to get much sleep, such were the celebrations in the city, which erupted close to midnight (2200 GMT) when the final whistle was blown on a match that the Spanish dominated before Ferran Torres secured victory with a goal in extra time.

The horns of cars blared, though they were not going far with the hordes of people who flooded the streets, cheering raucously and blowing vuvuzelas — the instrument that became a feature of the 2010 World Cup hosted in South Africa.

Thousands dressed in the team strip, brandishing the national flag, and with their faces painted, had already gathered to watch the final on a giant screen in the centre of the capital city.

Flares and fire works also lit up the sky and 25-year-old Diego gasped with disbelief that for the second time in his relatively short life his country had won the biggest trophy in the sport.

“We won the Euro in 2008, then the World Cup: two years ago we won the Euro again and now once more we have won the World Cup,” he purred.

He said he would grab some sleep before awaiting the arrival of the returning heroes because “we must also celebrate that”.

Around one million people are expected to line the parade route, with additional security and transport measures planned to handle the crowds.

‘Going to Cibeles!’

“It is crazy to think we are singing it because at one point we no longer believed it would happen,” said 26-year-old Alejandra Silva, who had to raise her voice to be heard.

Her friend Angela Lambea, 30, said it would have been unfair if superstar Lionel Messi and his side — whose overly physical tactics eventually resulted in Enzo Fernandez being sent off — had gone on to win.

“We deserved it, we played really well, we had the ball the whole time, Argentina barely touched it. We are totally overcome with emotion,” she said.

Both of them were keen to carry on the celebrations, though, with the caveat that they had to work on Monday (July 20, 2026).

Cries of “Campeones, campeones!” (”Champions, champions!”) and “Que viva España!” rang out.

Indeed their celebrations were mirrored across a football-mad country of around 50 million people although some of the younger revellers would have had no memory of the earlier glory nights.

One who did is 40-year-old John Molina, who remembers the first World Cup victory, in the final against the Netherlands 16 years ago, which he said was “a dream” at that time.

He already has his eyes on where he will carry on celebrating: “We are all going to Cibeles”, the square where Real Madrid supporters gather to fete their club’s trophies.

Molina and others may as well stay on — though the detritus of Sunday night and Monday morning’s celebrations will have had to be cleared away quickly — as Rodri, Lamine Yamal and their teammates will end their victory parade there later on Monday (July 20, 2026).

It promises to be another party to remember.

Lionel Messi has quite a climb to catch Kylian Mbappé for the Golden Boot.

The Argentina superstar has won just about everything in soccer except for the award for being the leading scorer at the World Cup, and he’s now two behind Mbappé after the France striker upped his total to 10 goals in a wild third-place game.

Even if Messi can’t get there, a record-extending third Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player seems well in reach after Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

He’s already the only player to win the award multiple times since it was first given in 1978, and sparking Argentina’s run to a second straight final at age 39 gives him a strong case for another.

“He is the history. He is the legend,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.

The other awards to be presented Sunday (July 19, 2026) for performances at the World Cup are the Golden Glove for the top goalkeeper, and the Best Young Player Award, given to the top player 21 years old or younger.

Spain is in good shape to win at least one if not both of those, with Unai Simón allowing only one goal in seven games and 19-year-old Lamine Yamal providing the dazzle up front and showing why he is already considered one of the most promising players in the world.

Messi is at the other end of a career in which he’s won the Ballon d’Or, given to soccer’s player of the year, a record eight times.

The Golden Boot has eluded him, but he had the lead going into the final two matches of this year’s tournament. Both Messi and Mbappé had eight goals through the semifinals, but Messi owned the tiebreaker with one more assist.

Mbappé then scored twice Saturday (July 18) in France’s 6-4 loss to England, making him the first player with 10 goals in a World Cup since Germany great Gerd Müller had 10 in 1970.

Mbappé also won the Golden Boot four years ago in Qatar, when France lost to Argentina in the final. This time, he could join players such as Italy’s Salvatore Schillaci in 1990, Croatia’s Davor Suker in 1998 and Germany’s Thomas Müller in 2010 as players whose goals in a third-place game carried them to the Golden Boot.

Should Messi beat out Mbappé in an Argentina victory, he would be the first Golden Boot winner to play for the champion since Ronaldo scored eight goals when Brazil won the title in 2002.

He may not need any goals to secure another Golden Ball.

Messi won that trophy for the first time in 2014, when Argentina was the runner-up, and again in 2022 when his seven goals in seven games powered his country to its third title. The Golden Ball, Golden Glove and the Best Young Player Award are voted on by members of the media from a list of players compiled by the FIFA Technical Study Group.