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Spain Beats Argentina 1-0, Claims Second World Cup

7/20/2026

25 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Spain Claims World Cup

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final, earning its second World Cup title.
The tournament set a new attendance record with 3,605,357 spectators, surpassing the 1994 USA total.
The 2026 World Cup was the first to feature a 48-team field and three co-hosts: the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Brazil leads with five championships.
Germany, Italy and Argentina have four, four and three championships respectively.

Summary

Spain Wins Double

U.S. President Donald Trump attended the final, booed and presented medals to Spain.
A 2007 UNICEF photo of Lionel Messi bathing Lamine Yamal went viral before the final.
Spain became the first nation to hold both men’s and women’s World Cup titles while Cape Verde debuted, drawing Spain in the opener and later challenging Argentina in the round of 32.
Chris Martin oversaw a halftime show that critics called chaotic.

History

Historical Context

Hosting the 1994 World Cup, the United States set an attendance record of 3,587,538 across 52 matches while the field comprised 24 teams. Since then FIFA has expanded the finals, and the 2026 tournament returns to the U.S. with a larger field and an expected 6,730,303 spectators, as Spain enters as defending champions.

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Spain Claims World Cup

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final, earning its second World Cup title.
The tournament set a new attendance record with 3,605,357 spectators, surpassing the 1994 USA total.
The 2026 World Cup was the first to feature a 48-team field and three co-hosts: the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Brazil leads with five championships.
Germany, Italy and Argentina have four, four and three championships respectively.

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