The "Invincible Armada" of Spain has defeated Argentina, led by Lionel Messi in his "Last Tango," to win the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.

Spain, ranked 2nd in the FIFA world rankings and managed by Luis de la Fuente, defeated 1st-ranked Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the tournament final held at the New Jersey Stadium in New York, USA, today (July 20).

Spain, which dominated the match throughout but struggled to break through the "save show" put on by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, finally secured the win with a decisive goal by Ferran Torres in the 1st minute of the second half of extra time.

Argentina failed to record a single shot during the 90 minutes of regulation time against Spain's suffocating defense.

This is a rare record in the history of World Cup finals.

There was no "magic" from Messi.

Spain has achieved its second World Cup title, 16 years after their victory at the 2010 South Africa tournament.

With the final featuring a Europe versus South America matchup for the second consecutive tournament, a European team has reclaimed the championship trophy for the first time in eight years, since France won the 2018 Russia tournament.

The total number of World Cup titles for Europe has now risen to 13.

South America has 10 titles.

Spain has become the first nation to hold both the Women's World Cup (won in 2023) and the Men's World Cup trophies.

Under the leadership of manager De la Fuente, Spain has continued its golden era by winning both Euro 2024 and this tournament consecutively.

Argentina failed to achieve the feat of back-to-back championships following their victory at the 2022 Qatar tournament.

Messi, who captivated the world for a month by showcasing his peak "footballing ability" even at the age of 39, leaves the World Cup stage without securing a second title.

He finished the tournament with 8 goals and 4 assists.

The Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer, went to France's Kylian Mbappe, who recorded 10 goals and 4 assists.

Messi started as a right attacker in Argentina's 4-4-2 formation, while Spain's 19-year-old "supernova" Lamine Yamal started as a right attacker in a 4-3-3 formation.

Messi set a new record for the oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup final at 39 years and 25 days old.

He surpassed the previous record of 37 years and 241 days held by Sweden's Gunnar Gren.

Yamal, along with Spanish center-back Pau Cubarsi (both 19), tied the record for the most World Cup appearances by a player under 20, with 7 matches.

They equaled the record previously held solely by Mbappe.

In a tense flow, Spain dominated the match.

However, a shot by Yamal from the right in the 5th minute and a surprise mid-range shot by Mikel Oyarzabal in the 39th minute were both caught by Argentina's goalkeeper Martinez.

Argentina, where Messi did not show much presence, faced a setback before halftime when center-back Lisandro Martinez was injured, forcing an early substitution.

In the second half, another center-back, Romero, also left the pitch due to injury.

As cracks began to appear in Argentina's defensive wall, Spain created consecutive decisive moments but struggled to find the back of the net.

This was due to the inspired goalkeeping of Martinez, who made a miraculous save on a header by Ferran Torres following a short cross from Yamal on the right in the 21st minute of the second half.

In the 48th minute of the second half, with the possibility of extra time increasing, a variable occurred when Argentine attacker Enzo Fernandez was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.

Fernandez received his second yellow card for a rough tackle on Cubarsi while attempting to clear the ball.

Spain, enjoying a numerical advantage, intensified their offensive in extra time.

In the 6th minute of the first half of extra time, a shot by Spain's Nico Williams found the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed following a ruling that Argentina's Nicolas Otamendi had committed a foul on Mikel Merino.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 1st minute of the second half of extra time, marking Spain's twentieth shot of the match.

When a diagonal cross was headed down by Williams, Torres, who was rushing in, fired a left-footed shot into the net.

This was the only goal for Torres, who was mainly used as a substitute throughout the tournament.

In the 9th minute of the second half of extra time, Torres found the net again with a right-footed shot in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper, but he was left disappointed by an offside ruling.

In stoppage time of the second half of extra time, a right-footed volley by Giuliano Simeone following a corner kick from Messi soared over the Spanish goal, sealing Spain's victory.

(Photo: Getty Images)