This success did not come by chance. Just as it happened in 2010, so too now, the top of the world followed two years after winning the European Championship. In 2008, the road was paved for South Africa's triumph and the historic treble that was completed with Euro 2012. Accordingly, Euro 2024 was the prelude to the new global distinction, proving that Spain knows how to transform its great generations into timeless empires.

The final had an absolute protagonist: Spain itself. For 120 minutes, La Roja imposed its rhythm, dominated possession of the ball. It constantly created dangers and completely trapped Argentina in its own half of the field. The Iberians completed the match with 20 final attempts, of which 12 ended up in the goal of the amazing goalkeeper, Emiliano Martínez, while they entered the opponent's area 31 times. On the contrary, the title holder was limited to just two shots, neither of which found the target. Recording one of the poorest attacking performances ever presented by a World Cup finalist.

The expulsion of Enzo Fernandez just before extra time tipped the scales even more in favor of the Spanish. With a numerical advantage throughout the extra half hour, the pressure became suffocating until, in the 106th minute, the moment that all of Spain had been waiting for arrived. Pedro Poro crossed to the far post, Nico Williams received the header-pass and Ferran Torres, with the composure of a great scorer, sent the ball into the net, scoring the goal that gave his homeland the second star on the shirt.

The celebrations that followed captured the magnitude of the feat. An emotional Ferran Torres dedicated the goal "to 47 million Spaniards", reminding us that great football moments never belong to a single person, but to an entire nation that dreams through their national team.

On the other side, the disappointment was immense. Argentina failed to defend the title they had won in Qatar in 2022 and saw their dream of consecutive victories fade away. Lionel Messi, in what appears to be his last World Cup appearance, completed an excellent personal tournament without the ideal ending, as Spanish dominance did not allow him to substantially influence the course of the match.

Spain finished the tournament unbeaten, extending their overall unbeaten run to 38 matches, while confirming that the new generation of Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Nico Williams, Oyarzabal, Pedro Porro and Ferran Torres is not just a great team of its time. It is a team that has already secured its place in the pantheon of the greatest national teams in football history, continuing in the most brilliant way the legacy of the inimitable generation of Xavi, Iniesta and Casillas.

The World Cup Golden Book

• 5 wins: Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)

• 4 wins: Germany (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014), Italy (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)

• 3 wins: Argentina (1978, 1986, 2022)

• 2 wins: France (1998, 2018), Spain (2010, 2026), Uruguay (1930, 1950)

• 1 win: England (1966)

The 80,000 spectators at MetLife Stadium didn’t just watch the grand finale of the 2026 World Cup. An hour and a half before kickoff, the closing ceremony began. Then, shortly before the game, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson sang the US national anthem. Other stars who have appeared have included Post Malone, Robbie Williams, Tom Cruise and influencer iShowSpeed. At halftime, a remake of the Super Bowl with a host of stars including: Shakira, Bruna Boy, Madonna, Justin Bieber and Korean K-Pop group BTS.

De La Fuente's Spain, in addition to eternal glory, will also win a significant sum, greater than ever before in a World Cup. Specifically, the winner of the 2026 World Cup will pocket 43,300,000 euros!.

The detailed amounts

Winner: €43,300,000

Runner-up: €28,600,000

3rd place: €25,100,000

4th place: €23,400,000

Quarterfinals: €15.5-17.5 million

Round of 16: €10.5-13 million

Round of 32: €9.5-10.5 million

Groups: €8-9 million

The detailed amounts that the previous winners had put in their coffers:

1982: Italy — approximately €2 million

1986: Argentina — approximately €2.5 million

1990: West Germany — approximately €3 million

1994: Brazil — approximately €3.5 million

1998: France — approximately €5 million

2002: Brazil — approx. €7 million

2006: Italy — approx. €17.5 million

2010: Spain — approx. €26 million

2014: Germany — approx. €30.5 million

2018: France — approx. €33 million

2022: Argentina — approx. €36.5 million

Top scorer Kylian Mbappe with 10 goals

Real Madrid forward scored 10 and became the first footballer to occupy first place in the same season, in the Spanish league, the Champions League and now in the World Cup.

At the same time, Argentine Leo Messi stopped at 8. Norwegian Erling Haaland and English Jude Bellingham remained at 7 goals. While Frenchman Ousmane Dembele and Englishman Harry Kane were at 6.

Top scorer of all time

Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe reached 22 goals in the final phase of the World Cup and is at the top of the relevant list. In fact, he became the first footballer to reach double figures in a finals match since Gerd Müller in 1970. He scored 4 goals in the 2018 World Cup, 8 goals in the 2022 World Cup and with 10 in this year's tournament he reached the top.

In second place is Lionel Messi with 21 goals in the finals of the World Cup, third is Miroslav Klose, who was at the top of the relevant list before the start of this year's tournament. Fourth is Brazilian Ronaldo with 15 goals and the top five is completed by Gerd Müller with 14 goals.