Spain and Argentina will contest the 2026 World Cup final this Sunday at New York's New Jersey Stadium. La Roja will attempt to win their second title, 16 years after their first triumph. The defending champions, the Albiceleste, are aiming for their fourth World Cup and could become only the third nation to retain the trophy after Italy, champions in 1934 and 1938, and Brazil, winners in 1958 and 1962. Before this latest encounter, the history of the World Cup has been shaped by legendary finals: impossible comebacks, goals scored in the dying minutes, nail-biting extra time, controversial refereeing decisions, and duels between the greatest players of their generation.
1954: Germany defeats the team that no one could beat
Hungary arrives in Bern with a seemingly invincible team. Ferenc Puskás, Sándor Kocsis, Zoltán Czibor, and Nándor Hidegkuti dominated international football for several years. In the first round, the Hungarians crushed West Germany 8-3.
The final seemed to be following the same pattern. Puskás opened the scoring in the sixth minute, then Czibor capitalized on a German error to make it 2-0 for Hungary two minutes later. The favorites had already taken control of the match. Germany responded immediately. Max Morlock pulled one back in the tenth minute, before Helmut Rahn equalized in the 18th. Hungary then dominated, creating numerous chances but being thwarted by German goalkeeper Toni Turek and the woodwork. In the 84th minute, Rahn picked up the ball just outside the box, cut inside onto his left foot, and beat Gyula Grosics. Puskás thought he had equalized shortly after, but his goal was disallowed for offside. West Germany won 3-2 and claimed their first World Cup title.
The "Miracle of Bern" remains one of the greatest upsets ever witnessed in a final. Hungary, considered the best team of its era, would never lift the world trophy.
1958: Pelé becomes king of the world at 17 years old
Brazil had never been crowned world champions when they faced host nation Sweden at the Råsunda Stadium. The final started badly for the Seleção. Nils Liedholm gave the Swedes the lead in the fourth minute. Vavá equalized five minutes later, then scored a second goal in the 32nd minute. Brazil led 2-1 at halftime before taking decisive control in the second half.
Pelé then made history. In the 55th minute, the young striker controlled the ball, lifted it over a defender, and volleyed it home. Mário Zagallo scored Brazil's fourth goal, and then Agne Simonsson pulled one back for Sweden. Pelé capped off the rout in the final seconds.
Brazil won 5-2. At 17 years and 249 days old, Pelé became the youngest player to score in a final and the youngest World Cup winner in history. Both records still stand. He would go on to win the competition again in 1962 and 1970, becoming the only player to have won it three times.
1966: Hurst's hat trick and a goal that has been debated for 60 years
England played their first ever World Cup final at Wembley. West Germany opened the scoring in the 12th minute through Helmut Haller, but Geoff Hurst equalized six minutes later. Martin Peters gave England the lead in the 78th minute. The title seemed theirs, but Wolfgang Weber equalized in the 89th minute, sending the game into extra time.
In the 101st minute, Hurst struck the ball under the crossbar. It bounced down before coming out again. Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst consulted his assistant, Tofiq Bahramov, who determined that the ball had crossed the line. The goal was awarded despite German protests. The available footage never definitively resolved the controversy. Hurst scored a third goal in the final seconds. England won 4-2 and secured their only World Cup title. The striker became the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. It would be Kylian Mbappé, in 2022, who would repeat such a feat.
1970: Brazil crushes Italy and reaches perfection
Brazil and Italy had each already won two World Cups when they met at the Azteca Stadium. The winner would become the first nation to win three World Cups and permanently retain the Jules Rimet Trophy.
Pelé opened the scoring with a header in the 18th minute. Roberto Boninsegna then capitalized on a Brazilian defensive error to equalize in the 37th. The Seleção made the difference in the second half. Gerson restored Brazil's lead in the 66th minute. Jairzinho scored the third goal five minutes later. The striker thus finished the tournament having scored in each of his team's six matches. In the 86th minute, Brazil created one of the most famous goals in history. After a long passing move, Pelé waited for Carlos Alberto to make his run forward and slipped him the ball. The Brazilian captain burst forward and fired a powerful shot into the bottom corner.
Brazil wins 4-1. Pelé lifts his third World Cup and definitively becomes one of the faces of the tournament. This 1970 team remains considered one of the most impressive ever fielded in the competition.
1974: The Netherlands score without letting Germany touch the ball
Johan Cruyff's Netherlands reached the final after imposing their "total football" style throughout the tournament. Against West Germany, the host nation, the Dutch made a unique start to the match. They kicked off, retained possession, and found Cruyff, who accelerated towards the penalty area. Uli Hoeness brought him down. Johan Neeskens converted the penalty after just 88 seconds, before a German player had even touched the ball. Germany didn't collapse. Paul Breitner equalized from the penalty spot in the 25th minute, and then Gerd Müller scored Germany's second goal just before halftime. The Netherlands pressed forward in the second half, but Sepp Maier and the German defense held firm. Germany won 2-1 and secured their second World Cup title.
Cruyff and his teammates left the competition without the trophy. However, their play, their pressing, and their collective movement would leave a profound mark on the history of football.
1986: Maradona finds Burruchaga after a nail-biting finish
Diego Maradona's Argentina faced West Germany at the Azteca Stadium. José Luis Brown opened the scoring with a header in the 23rd minute. Jorge Valdano doubled Argentina's lead in the 56th. At 2-0, the Albiceleste seemed destined for their second World Cup title. However, Germany came back thanks to two corners from Andreas Brehme. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge reduced the deficit in the 74th minute, and then Rudi Völler equalized in the 81st.
Argentina had just lost in a matter of minutes the lead they had built up over more than an hour. Extra time seemed inevitable. In the 84th minute, Maradona received the ball in midfield. Surrounded by German players, he found space and played Jorge Burruchaga through. The striker held off Hans-Peter Briegel and beat Harald Schumacher. Argentina won 3-2. Maradona didn't score in the final, but he provided the winning assist after dominating the tournament. He lifted his country's second World Cup.
1998: Zidane defeats Brazil and gives France its first star
On July 12, 1998, France faced Brazil at the Stade de France. Les Bleus had never won the World Cup. The Seleção, the reigning champions, fielded Ronaldo , Rivaldo, Bebeto, Roberto Carlos, and Cafu.
France took the lead in the 27th minute. From an Emmanuel Petit corner, Zinédine Zidane rose at the near post and headed home. Just before halftime, Youri Djorkaeff took another corner. Zidane again outmaneuvered the Brazilian defense and scored his second goal.
Brazil tried to respond in the second half. France were reduced to ten men after Marcel Desailly's dismissal in the 68th minute, but Fabien Barthez and his defense held firm. In stoppage time, Patrick Vieira played in Emmanuel Petit, who beat Cláudio Taffarel. France won 3-0 and became world champions for the first time.
Didier Deschamps lifts the trophy as captain. Zidane, who scored twice in the most important match of his international career, becomes the hero of an evening that propels French football into another dimension.
2006: Zidane's last night ends with a headbutt
Eight years after their 1998 triumph, France returns to the final in Berlin. They face an Italy side that has only conceded one own goal before this match.
Zidane opened the scoring in the seventh minute. From the penalty spot, the French captain attempted a Panenka. The ball hit the crossbar, bounced behind the line, and fell back out of the goal. Marco Materazzi equalized with a header in the 19th minute. The score remained 1-1. In extra time, Gianluigi Buffon saved a powerful header from Zidane that was heading for the top corner. In the 110th minute, after a verbal exchange, Zidane headbutted Materazzi in the chest. Referee Horacio Elizondo sent him off. In the final match of his career, the Frenchman left the pitch walking past the trophy.
The final was decided by penalties. All five Italian penalty takers scored. David Trezeguet was the only Frenchman to miss, his shot hitting the crossbar. Fabio Grosso converted Italy's final attempt. Italy won 5-3 and claimed their fourth World Cup title.
2010: Iniesta delivers for Spain four minutes from the end
Spain and the Netherlands arrived in Johannesburg without ever having been crowned world champions. The final was tense, disjointed, and marred by numerous fouls. Arjen Robben had the two best Dutch chances. On the clearest opportunity, he found himself one-on-one with Iker Casillas. The Spanish goalkeeper saved his shot with his foot, keeping his team in the game. No goals were scored during regulation time. In extra time, Dutch defender John Heitinga was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.
In the 116th minute, Cesc Fàbregas found Andrés Iniesta in the box. The Spanish midfielder controlled the ball and fired past Maarten Stekelenburg, giving him no chance. Spain won 1-0 and claimed their first ever World Cup title. Following Euro 2008, the generation of Casillas, Xavi, Iniesta, David Villa, Carles Puyol, and Sergio Busquets confirmed their dominance in international football.
2014: Götze shatters Messi's dream at the Maracanã
Germany and Argentina meet in the final at the Maracanã, 24 years after their previous title clash. Lionel Messi is playing in his first World Cup final. Germany is aiming for its fourth star.
Gonzalo Higuaín capitalizes on a poor German clearance but misses the target. He scores a few minutes later, only to have his goal correctly disallowed for offside. Messi also has a chance early in the second half, but fails to hit the target. The score remains 0-0, forcing extra time. In the 113th minute, André Schürrle breaks down the left flank and crosses towards Mario Götze. Having come on as a substitute for Miroslav Klose, the young German controls the ball with his chest and shoots with his left foot before it hits the ground.
Germany wins 1-0. They claim their fourth World Cup title and become the first European team to triumph at a World Cup held in the Americas. Messi receives the Player of the Tournament award, but leaves the Maracanã without the trophy. He will have to wait eight years to rewrite history.
2018: France dominates Croatia and wins its second star
On July 15, 2018, France played in Moscow in its third World Cup final. Facing Les Bleus was Luka Modrić's Croatia, who had just gone to extra time three times against Denmark, Russia, and England.
Croatia started better, but France opened the scoring in the 18th minute. From an Antoine Griezmann free-kick , Mario Mandžukić headed the ball into his own net, becoming the first player to score an own goal in a World Cup final. Ivan Perišić equalized in the 28th minute with a low, angled shot. Ten minutes later, Perišić handled the ball in his own penalty area. After consulting VAR, referee Néstor Pitana awarded France a penalty, which Griezmann converted. Croatia retained possession and continued to attack, but Les Bleus made the difference after the break. In the 59th minute, Paul Pogba played Kylian Mbappé through, followed the play, and collected the ball just outside the box. His initial shot was blocked, but he pounced on the rebound with his left foot to make it 3-1.
Six minutes later, Lucas Hernandez played a through ball to Mbappé just outside the box. The French striker fired a low shot past Danijel Subašić. At 19 years and 207 days old, he became the first teenager to score in a World Cup final since Pelé in 1958. Mandžukić then capitalized on a mistake by Hugo Lloris to pull one back in the 69th minute. France were now in control and went on to win 4-2.
Twenty years after 1998, Les Bleus win their second star. Hugo Lloris lifts the trophy in the pouring rain. Antoine Griezmann is named best player of the final and Luka Modrić receives the Golden Ball of the tournament.
Didier Deschamps became the third man to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager, after Brazilian Mário Zagallo and German Franz Beckenbauer. Captain in 1998, he led the new generation of French players to the title in 2018.
2022: Messi and Mbappé deliver a crazy final
On December 18, 2022, Argentina and France will face off in Lusail. Lionel Messi is seeking the only major trophy still missing from his career. Les Bleus could become the first national team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962.
Argentina completely dominated the early stages of the match. Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute. Ángel Di María then finished off a well-worked counter-attack in the 36th minute. France failed to register a single shot on target for much of the game.
Everything changed in the 80th minute. Kylian Mbappé converted a penalty won by Randal Kolo Muani. Less than two minutes later, he exchanged passes with Marcus Thuram and equalized with a volley. The final went to extra time. In the 108th minute, Messi pounced on a rebound after Hugo Lloris parried the ball back into Argentina's lead. Mbappé equalized again in the 118th minute from another penalty. He became only the second player to score a hat trick in a final, after Geoff Hurst in 1966. With seconds remaining, Kolo Muani found himself one-on-one with Emiliano Martínez. The Argentine goalkeeper deflected his shot with his leg, keeping the score at 3-3.
During the penalty shootout, Martínez saved Kingsley Coman's attempt. Aurélien Tchouaméni shot wide. Gonzalo Montiel scored the decisive penalty. Argentina won 4-2 and claimed their third World Cup title.
Messi finally wins the World Cup at 35. Mbappé takes home the Golden Boot after scoring eight goals in the tournament, including three in the final. With his goal against Croatia in 2018, he also becomes the player with the most goals in World Cup finals, with four.
Spain-Argentina must now write its own history
The 2026 final pits two teams against each other who already know what it means to reach the final of the World Cup. Spain had only reached the final once before, in 2010, and won it. Argentina is playing in its second consecutive final and could become the first team since Pelé's Brazil to retain its title. Lionel Messi could lift a second World Cup four years after his victory against France. Spain could add a second star to its jersey and confirm the return of a team that has already won the European Championship.
