{"id":1623,"date":"2026-07-20T03:33:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T03:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betway.co.com\/insider\/?p=1623"},"modified":"2026-08-05T05:53:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T05:53:24","slug":"2026-world-cup-final-messi-argentina-fall-to-spain-in-world-cup-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betway.co.bw\/insider\/2026-world-cup-final-messi-argentina-fall-to-spain-in-world-cup-final\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 World Cup Final &#8211; Messi, Argentina fall to Spain in World Cup final"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Image source: Alamy Stock Photo<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">Lionel Messi and Argentina\u2019s hopes of back-to-back <a href=\"https:\/\/betway.co.com\/sport\/soccer\/highlights?sortOrder=League&amp;selectedLeagues=international_fifa-world-cup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">World Cup<\/a> titles were dashed on Sunday at the New York New Jersey Stadium, as they succumbed 1-0 to Spain in the 2026 tournament final.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">After their epic triumph in 2022, La Albiceleste were hoping to become the first team since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to win successive titles at the global tournament. However, La Roja dominated the match and deservedly won 1-0 after extra time, thanks to a goal from Ferran Torres.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">Spain dominated most of the play through the first half and had three notable moments in attack. The first saw Lamine Yamal with a sight of goal in the fifth minute, but his effort was slightly deflected off a defender and saved by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">The second saw Mikel Oyarzabal get away a snap shot from just outside the penalty area in the 39th minute, but Martinez made a relatively comfortable save low to his left, and shortly thereafter Marc Cucurella dragged a low shot wide of the mark.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">Argentina mainly played on the break, but struggled to create chances for roaming forwards Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez. They also suffered a major injury blow late in the first half when Lisandro Martinez succumbed to a knock and was replaced by Nicolas Otamendi.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">Spain kept up their dominance in the second half, and created a fine chance for Ferran Torres in the 67th minute, but the substitute\u2019s header from Lamine Yamal\u2019s cross went straight into the arms of Martinez.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">Ten minutes later Pau Cubarsi had a snap shot on goal, but again Martinez was on hand to deny the team in red and navy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">In injury time at the end of the 90, Enzo Fernandez picked up a second yellow card \u2013 for a challenge on Cubarsi \u2013 which saw him sent off and Argentina reduced to 10 men.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">Spain then had a final chance to avoid extra time when Yamal shot on target from a free kick, but Martinez made a sharp save to his left to send the match to an extra 30 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">La Albiceleste\u2019s goalkeeper made his best save yet early in extra time when he turned away a glancing header from Nico Williams, and a few minutes later the same player had the ball in the back of the net, but the referee disallowed the goal based on a tenuous foul in the build-up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">La Roja also missed a glaring chance when Mikel Merino met a cross from the left flank, but put his glancing header wide of the far post in the 103rd minute.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">However, Spain\u2019s pressure finally paid off within the opening minute of the second half of extra time: Pedro Porro\u2019s lofted cross from the right was headed back into the danger area by Williams, and Torres crashed home a left-footed volley for 1-0.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">Argentina finally began to offer an attacking threat after going behind, with their closest attempt coming in the final minute of the extra 30 when a low cross from Messi was heroically turned away from the goal mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">The final whistle saw Spain embark on a joyous celebration, having clinched a second World Cup title and written themselves into football history.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\">\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">Spain (0) (0) 1 (F. Torres 106\u2019)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">Argentina 0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\">\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><i><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">After extra time<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\">\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">Spain: U. Simon, P. Porro, P. Cubarsi, A. Laporte (E. Garcia 99\u2019), M. Cucurella, Rodri (M. Zubimendi 99\u2019), F. Ruiz (Pedri 62\u2019), L. Yamal, D. Olmo (M. Merino 75\u2019), A. Baena (N. Williams 75\u2019), M. Oyarzabal (F. Torres 62\u2019)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\">\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: black;\">Argentina: E. Martinez, G. Montiel (N. Molina 58\u2019), C. Romero (F. Medina 70\u2019), Li. Martinez (N. Otamendi 46\u2019), N. Tagliafico, R. de Paul (G. Simeone 70\u2019), A. Mac Allister, E. Fernandez, N. Gonzalez (L. Paredes 46\u2019), L. Messi, J. Alvarez (M. Senesi 102\u2019)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<h2>2026 World Cup Action Starts with Betway Botswana<\/h2>\n<p>Join\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/betway.co.com\/\">Betway Botswana<\/a>\u00a0and take your sports betting to the next level with adrenaline-filled action. 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Join our community for tips, bonuses, and exciting offers. #BetwaySquad<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/OfficialBetwayBotswana\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.betway.co.za\/medialibraries\/betway.co.za\/Affiliates-Media\/Telegram_Banner_EN_300x250.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" \/><\/a><\/h3>\n<p>For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions follow\u00a0<strong>Betway<\/strong>\u00a0on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/betwaybotswana\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BetwayBW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/OfficialBetwayBotswana\">Telegram<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/betwaybotswana\/\">Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCcxfsI6thcyaP8miLf87BxA?\">Youtube<\/a>. Download the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/betway.co.com\/betway-app\">Betway app<\/a>\u00a0to bet on the go!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-footer clear-both\">\n<div class=\"mb-4\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"related-posts border-top mb-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image source: Alamy Stock Photo &nbsp; Lionel Messi and Argentina\u2019s hopes of back-to-back World Cup titles were dashed on Sunday [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1571,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","category-sport","category-world-cup"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>2026 World Cup Final - Messi, Argentina fall to Spain in World Cup final - Betway Botswana Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lionel Messi and Argentina\u2019s hopes of back-to-back World Cup titles were dashed on Sunday at the New York New Jersey Stadium, as they succumbed 1-0 to Spain in the 2026 tournament final.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.betway.co.bw\/insider\/2026-world-cup-final-messi-argentina-fall-to-spain-in-world-cup-final\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2026 World Cup Final - Messi, Argentina fall to Spain in World Cup final - Betway Botswana Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lionel Messi and Argentina\u2019s hopes of back-to-back World Cup titles were dashed on Sunday at the New York New Jersey Stadium, as they succumbed 1-0 to Spain in the 2026 tournament final.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.betway.co.bw\/insider\/2026-world-cup-final-messi-argentina-fall-to-spain-in-world-cup-final\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Betway Botswana Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-20T03:33:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-05T05:53:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.betway.co.bw\/insider\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Lionel-Messi-of-Argentina.gif\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/gif\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"betway.co.bw\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"betway.co.bw\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.betway.co.bw\\\/insider\\\/2026-world-cup-final-messi-argentina-fall-to-spain-in-world-cup-final\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.betway.co.bw\\\/insider\\\/2026-world-cup-final-messi-argentina-fall-to-spain-in-world-cup-final\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"betway.co.bw\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.betway.co.bw\\\/insider\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5a3d00495a506a6036de4e97c3fa1410\"},\"headline\":\"2026 World Cup Final &#8211; 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