{"id":925228,"date":"2026-08-06T11:16:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T16:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/06\/the-best-sports-illustrated-photos-from-spains-unforgettable-world-cup-final-win\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T11:16:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T16:16:43","slug":"the-best-sports-illustrated-photos-from-spains-unforgettable-world-cup-final-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/06\/the-best-sports-illustrated-photos-from-spains-unforgettable-world-cup-final-win\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Sports Illustrated Photos From Spain’s Unforgettable World Cup Final Win"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Spain is world champions once again<\/a>. <\/p>\n

In a tightly contested battle Sunday at MetLife Stadium, the Spaniards outlasted Argentina 1\u20130 to win their first World Cup<\/a> title since 2010. With the game scoreless through 90 minutes, Spain\u2019s Ferran Torres came through with the only goal of the World Cup final in the 106th minute. <\/p>\n

Check out the best photos from Sports Illustrated<\/em> photographers Erick W. Rasco and Simon Bruty, who were on the scene in New Jersey to capture the biggest soccer game of the last four years.<\/p>\n

Setting the scene<\/h2>\n
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Jennifer Hudson performed the United States national anthem before the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. | Simon Bruty\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Lionel Messi and Argentina aimed to defend their 2022 World Cup title against Spain on Sunday. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Nearly 81,000 fans were in attendance at MetLife Stadium for the World Cup final. | Simon Bruty\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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FIFA president Gianni Infantino chats with United States president Donald Trump at the World Cup final. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Luis de la Fuente instructs Spain players in a huddle before the game. | Simon Bruty\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Kicking off<\/h2>\n
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Spain forward Mikel Oyarzabal fights for possession in the first half of the World Cup final. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Spain\u2019s Pau Cubars\u00ed jumps for a header during the first half. | Simon Bruty\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Halftime show at MetLife Stadium<\/h2>\n
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With the score tied 0\u20130 at halftime, Madonna took the stage alongside Brazil legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. | Simon Bruty\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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BTS, a South Korean K-pop band, followed up Madonna\u2019s performance with a number of their own. | Simon Bruty\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Shakira performed the official 2026 World Cup song \u201cDai Dai\u201d at halftime. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

The second half kicks off …<\/h2>\n
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Fans eagerly awaited the game\u2019s first goal in the second half. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Lionel Messi, who scored eight goals during the World Cup, dribbles with the ball in the second half. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Pau Cubars\u00ed sends himself into orbit in attempt to kick an incoming ball in the first half. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Much to the dismay of NFL players, MetLife Stadium laid down beautiful grass for the World Cup instead of its normal turf surface. | Simon Bruty\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Lamine Yamal puts a shot on net in the second half. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Mart\u00ednez slides to make a save as Spain\u2019s Mikel Merino crashes the net. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

GOAL! Ferran Torres finds the back of the net to give Argentina a 1\u20130 lead in extra time<\/h2>\n
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Ferran Torres celebrates his goal at the 106-minute mark to give Spain a 1\u20130 lead in extra time. | Simon Bruty\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Ferran Torres and Nico Williams fly down the field in celebration of Spain taking a 1\u20130 lead in the World Cup Final | Simon Bruty\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Argentina\u2019s Nicol\u00e1s Otamendi reacts to Spain taking a 1\u20130 lead late in the game. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

The thrill of victory … <\/h2>\n
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The scene at MetLife Stadium as the final whistle sounded on Spain\u2019s 1\u20130 win. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Spain wins 1\u20130! Mikel Merino, Y\u00e9remy Pino and Pedri hit the ground to celebrate. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Pau Cubars\u00ed hugs a teammate after the final horn sounded on Spain\u2019s 1\u20130 victory. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Pau Cubars\u00ed lays on the field in disbelief after Spain clinched its first World Cup title since 2010. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

… and the agony of defeat<\/h2>\n
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Lionel Messi stands on the field in the moments following Argentina\u2019s 1\u20130 loss. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Argentina\u2019s Leandro Paredes takes a moment on the field following the 1\u20130 loss. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Argentina fans watch Spain celebrate on the field after winning the World Cup title. | Simon Bruty\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Lionel Messi shakes the hand of U.S. president Donald Trump after the game. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Spain\u2019s celebration is on!<\/h2>\n
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Spain midfielder Rodri won the World Cup Golden Ball as the tournament\u2019s best player. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Unai Sim\u00f3n was awarded the Golden Glove, given to the best goalkeeper in the World Cup. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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President Trump lingered too long on stage as Spain celebrated their World Cup title. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Spain celebrates on stage, this time without President Trump lurking in the background. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Luis De La Fuente lifts the trophy after Spain\u2019s 1\u20130 win in the World Cup final. | Erick W. Rasco\/Sports Illustrated<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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More from Sports Illustrated<\/em><\/h3>\n
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Tom Dierberger
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spain is world champions once again. In a tightly contested battle Sunday at MetLife Stadium, the Spaniards outlasted Argentina 1\u20130 to win their first World Cup title since 2010. With the game scoreless through 90 minutes, Spain\u2019s Ferran Torres came through with the only goal of the World Cup final in the 106th minute. Check<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":925229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31320,192],"tags":[18314,6810],"class_list":["post-925228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-illustrated","category-sports","tag-illustrated","tag-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/925228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=925228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/925228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/925229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=925228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=925228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=925228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}