Spain have been crowned champions of the 2026 World Cup after beating Argentina in the final, according to the Guardian’s Sid Lowe. The European champions completed their tournament having conceded just a single goal, a defensive record that underpinned their run to the title.

Lowe’s account of the final captured a Spain side that pressed relentlessly against an Argentina team anchored by goalkeeper Emi Martínez. Time and again Spanish players took aim at Martínez’s goal, and time and again they were halted, with the goalkeeper still standing as the clock ran down.

Rather than relenting, Spain continued to attack. The decisive sequence, as described by Lowe, came when Pedro Porro delivered a deep cross that found Nico Williams at the far post. Williams headed the ball back into the danger area, where it dropped deep inside the Argentina penalty box, bounced on the turf and sat waiting for someone to seize the moment.

For the Guardian, the significance of the victory extended beyond the scoreline. Lowe framed Spain’s success as a vindication of a system, rather than simply a collection of superstars, at a tournament he characterised as a World Cup of superstars.

Spain’s single goal conceded across the competition speaks to the collective discipline that carried them through the tournament and into the final against one of world football’s most storied national sides.