Spain defeated Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final, denying La Albiceleste a chance at back-to-back titles. In a match that was largely one-sided, Lionel Scaloni made it clear that his opponent was the superior team.
“Sadness,” Scaloni said about his feelings right after the game. “But knowing that we gave everything, I have a lot to say about how we got here, but it’s not worth it. Eternal gratitude to these guys who competed until the end. Spain was better, that’s true, but I will keep a great memory. This hurts a lot. We have to be great in defeat as well. We showed that we know how to lose, but that doesn’t mean we are going to forget everything we did to get here.
“I am grateful to the players and I want to tell the country that we gave everything. We arrived here at an unfair moment, it’s true. You lose, and you have to get back up; there is no other option. I remember the runners-up because it is incredibly difficult to reach this stage, and we have to give it enormous value. Obviously, it hurts us. Gratitude and sadness, of course. But when you play like this and give everything, it’s difficult to criticize anything.”
Spain showed no mercy against Argentina throughout regulation time, especially after Enzo Fernandez’s sending-off. In this way, La Roja secured another World Cup title. This now leaves Scaloni’s future up in the air, as the Argentine coach burst into tears during his postgame press conference.
Lionel Messi #10 and Rodrigo de Paul #7 of Argentina react after the 0-1 loss.
The dream that fell short
The image of Lionel Messi in tears perfectly reflects the hopes and dreams this team carried. Argentina had delivered a strong World Cup campaign, but in the final match, nothing went as planned.
Spain was the better team. and Luis de la Fuente believes his side should have scored earlier. That was evident on the field, as Argentina failed to register a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes of the match.
Rodri was awarded the World Cup Golden Ball, even ahead of Messi, who also had an excellent tournament. It remains to be seen what decision the No. 10 will make regarding the future of his career.
