Classless losers: Watch Argentina start brawl after World Cup defeat

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World Cup daily news. We will bring you the latest from around the world as the FIFA World Cup 2026™ finally gets under way (All times AEST).

Spain win marred by disgusting scenes

Pretty ordinary response from Argentina, particularly Leandro Paredes who is fighting with Spain players.

He started an all out brawl as Spain tried to celebrate their win. Classless losers.

Vision suggests Moline swung an arm out to Rodri, they square off before Paredes piles in like a steam train, grabs him by the throat and then takes on another couple of players.

Can handle losing eh?

Alan Shearer has slammed the Argentina players.

"Paredes threw two or three haymakers into someone's face," he told the BBC. "He went for them. There is no place or space for that.

"We know how much it means to them and we know how much it hurts to lose, but there is a way to lose. Too many times we have seen that from Argentina. The reaction after the final whistle is terrible."

WORLD CUP AWARDS

GOLDEN BOOT

France's Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot for scoring 10 goals.

GOLDEN BALL

Spain captain Rodri has been named the Golden Ball winner as Player of the Tournament.

He was regal in his central midfield role.

GOLDEN GLOVE

Unai Simon has been named the Golden Glove winner.

Spain conceded just one goal.

YOUNG PLAYER AWARD

Spain's Pau Cubarsi has won the FIFA Young Player Award for the best young player at the tournament.

The Barcelona centre-back is just 19

SPAIN HAS WON THE WORLD CUP!

It always looked like Spain would make this their day but you just never know with Argentina. You can never count them out. Even when down to 10 men!

For only the second time in their history Spain have won the World Cup. 16 years after their South Africa glory, they are champions of the World and Europe.

Ferran Torres was the super sub, coming off the bench to slam home the winner just seconds into the second period of extra-time in New York.

They dominated everything; chances, possession - everything. Congratulations La Roja, the right result.

20 shots to one today.

Tears of joy and tears of sadness. Lionel Messi sits on the field looking forlorn. This is likely the final time we will see him at a World Cup.

What a World Cup.

IT IS CHAOS

Argentina are throwing everything at this. Simeone has just missed a golden chance in front of goal. They are relentless.

We are gone over 120 minutes and there are five additional.

ANOTHER chances goes begging. It's Simeone again! If this ends how it is, these moment may haunt him.

Where has the Spanish defence gone?

TORRES DOUBLE!

But he's offside! Millimetres in it. he found the back of the net but it's been ruled out.

SPAIN HAS SCORED!!!!!

Jubilance between the players and their bench. Spain have done it. They have broken the deadlock!

Seconds into the second period of extra-time!

What a moment. Nico Williams does SO well to keep it in play and it's a glorious finish from Ferran Torres!

His 25th international goal.

What has Argentina got left?

Argentina have arrived at the World Cup final. Good news. Only took them 105 minutes but they are finally getting into the match. Albeit a man down and their coach is now on a yellow card.

But finally, Argentina are playing football instead of push your man over and hope for a free-kick...

Absolute shenanigans.

SPAIN SCORE! DISALLOWED!

But there's a debate about whether it will stand. Come on referee, this is classic Argentina acting.

Replays show someone had their toe stood on. Was Martinez caught late? Vision suggests this should be a goal, but it will not be allowed. Nico Williams was the goal scorer.

Hang on isn't this what VAR is for?

Alan Shearer's take on the BBC: "Was it just the way Mikel Merino went sliding in? That is not a foul for me.

"The only thing I can see is there is a slight touch of the toes on Nicolas Otamendi's toe, but not enough for me to give it as a free-kick."

Farce.

EXTRA-TIME

Another banger save from Martinez. Honestly, a rip-snorter of a performance form that man today. just about the only Argentina player that's put on any kind of a decent display so far.

The rest of them have done some decent play acting but beyond that - lacklustre to say the least.

Is this the most one-sided final we have ever seen?

Spain free-kick will be the final kick of regular time. Yamal couldn't...could he?

Oh he came bloody close! Martinez was forced to fly to save that one!

WE GO TO EXTRA-TIME

RED CARD!

It's a second yellow card for Enzo Fernandez crunches through Cubarsi and his World Cup final is over. Argentina down to 10.

NOT FUN VIEWING

I hate the Argentina gameplan. Argue with refs, play overly physical and act like the world has ended when someone dares tackle or stand up to Lionel Messi.

In the 92nd minute, Argentina had their first "chance" on goal. They did not score.

THIS REF IS GOOD

Argentina being pulled up for theatrics and dissent now. Good! They have been at this all tournament.

Three minutes or regular time left. Are we going the distance?

CHANCES!

Spain just not getting the lift off the ball that they need with these chances.

OH MY! Martinez is having a game and a half! A series of ripper saves, honestly Spain could be 5-0 up by now!

Martinez has made seven crucial saves so far today.

Yamal is so dangerous in that six-yard box. A replay of a corner too - ref's pulling the Argentine defence up for being way too handsy. Good on him, they're smothering the Spaniards.

Precious little ambition from Argentina.

How have Spain not scored?

We can sit here focusing on how dormant Argentina are but I can't believe Spain have not broken the deadlock.. no sooner do I write that does Yamal go on a run and get a superb cross in to Torres!

A great header and almost point blank range but he directs it straight into the keeper.

Argentina are yet to register an attempt on goal. You can't convince me they're the best side in the world. They have been utterly average all tournament.

Final subs for Argentina: Simeone and Medina on for Romero and De Paul.

Second-half hydration break.

GOOD AREAS

Pedro Porro is brought down by Leandro Paredes and Spain get a free-kick in a dangerous spot, Yamal drills it straight into the wall and it comes to nothing.

Spain changes: Ruiz on for Oyazarbal and Torres on for Pedri.

ALL SPAIN

The extended break has favoured Spain from the early glimpses in this second half. they are not holding back in their search for a goal.

Cucurella causing all sorts of problems and it's last ditch defence that saves the defending champions.

A third substitution for Argentina already! Montiel is off for Molina. There will be some mighty tired legs out there if this goes the distance.

Spain yet to make changes.

Half-time win or bust?

This was not on my World Cup bingo card. The half-time whistle went over 20 minutes ago. This is the longest break we have ever seen in a final.

A historic half-time show but does it have a future in the FIFA marquee event? Fans will have loved it, the pundits are, for the most part, saying "get on the the football".

Wayne Rooney did not enjoy it. his favourite moment?

"I'll be honest, when it finished," he told the BBC. "I like a lot of them artists, but I thought it was crap."

It was a 27-minute break in total.

HALF-TIME SHOW

Gird your loins for the half-time show here folks. Justin Bieber and Madonna among the names we're about to see in what is expected to be a 17 minute performance start to finish.

It's an unprecedented break for a FIFA event. Regulations state 15 minutes is the max but as we know, rules change when needed.

Argentina will be grateful for the break they have struggled to find any attacking momentum so far in the second half of this opening term.

Alan Shearer's take on that first half according to the BBC? "This is exactly what we expected from Argentina, who are trying to make it difficult and sitting deep.

"Spain have been the better team as we thought they would be."

INJURY ARGENTINA

Huge blow for the defending champions here as Lisandro Martinez signals he needs to leave the game. Not entirely clear what happened to him but he is replaced by veteran Nicolas Otamendi.

Spain has the edge

Spain have had the better half when it comes to chances, they have spent the last 10 minutes dominating possession, constantly putting pressure on the Argentina defence. One thing Spain does better than almost any team is play patience.

The build up was slow but consistent and finally Oyarzabal has a crack! And it's a great chance but Martinez is there! Denied but a great passage of play from Spain. Six minutes left in the first half.

ARGENTINA ARE BRUTAL

As they were against England the Argentina team is being very, very physical. We saw it throughout the first half of the semi-final, trying to get away with fouls and making it clear who is in charge. Yamal copping it from Romero and he's not the only ones.

Hope the referee gets ahold of this earlier than they did against England, it's a sloppy approach IMO.

CALMING DOWN

OK the mania of the first seven minutes has dwindled but not in a negative way, both sides are calming things down.

15 minutes in, and Messi has only touched the ball once - and it was the kick-off. he is a silent assassin, when he is not in the middle of everything you want to be worrying!

CRAZY START!

It’s been 39 days. 103 matches and it all comes down to this. The 2026 FIFA World Cup final. Spain v Argentina.

Spain 39 games unbeaten and Argentina going for 15 wins in a row. It’s huge.

Messi becomes the first man in history to captain a side in three World Cup finals. We are underway in New Jersey!

My word! My heart rate is right up there already and we're only five minutes in! Yamal could have had his side 2-0 already and Messi was onside in a 1-1 against the Spanish keeper.

Unai Simón was way out of the area, sprinting to challenge the GOAT and he timed it to perfection - anything other than that and he would have been off!

Goodness me - I take back all my pre-match comments about how this could be a snooze fest after England-France yesterday. This has well and truly woken me up.

Hold onto your hats!

In one of the greatest, most coincidental stories of all time, the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final can be traced back to an image taken all the way back in 2007.

At the famous Camp Nou, a 20-year-old Lionel Messi – a phenom of the world’s game at the time – was summoned into the visitors’ locker room of Barcelona’s infamous stadium.

He was there for a photoshoot organised by Barcelona’s sponsors of the time, UNICEF, in collaboration with Spanish newspaper Diario Sport.

The two organisations held a raffle, within which the winners would be granted a photoshoot with Barcelona’s brightest star.

Incredibly, the raffle was won by 17-year-old Equatorial Guinean Sheila Ebana, who had just recently given birth to her first child, of whom she brought to capture a photo with Lionel Messi.

That child was none other than Lamine Yamal of Barcelona and Spain, who is currently taking the world by storm at just 19 years old.

He came up through the same ranks as Messi at La Masia, he debuted in Messi’s former number 19 before moving into the famous number 10 that Messi made so prominent over his astonishing career.

And now, Yamal will face off against Messi in the greatest cup final that world sport has to offer, in what will likely be Messi’s final ever FIFA World Cup match.

One of the great coincidences that feels magical in so many ways.

Image source: AP

World Cup "villain" Folarin Balogun has spoken for the first time about the red card scandal that took over the tournament.

The USA star, who picked up a red card against Bosnia in the round of 32 subsequently had his one-match ban suspended after Donald Trump made a series of phone calls to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

The decision to allow Balogun to face Belgium in the last 16 sparked global fury with governing bodies, national coaches, players and fans calling FIFA out for alleged corruption.

Speaking about the insanity that came with having his ban delayed, Balogun said: “My initial reaction was I was happy to be back in the team, but when I started to reflect I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy, and I could almost see with my team-mates a bit of nerves because it was something that was so unique.

“The closer we got to the (Belgium) game I just tried to focus as best I could — but it was difficult, there was a lot of outside noise and that’s difficult to avoid.

“I was in shock, it wasn’t even a tackle. I just had to accept the decision and just be there for my team. For sure, when something is not intentional it should never be a red card, it was just an unfortunate situation.”

The scandal has prompted many to call for Infantino to resign while official protests have been lodged against him for "breaching the IOC’s rules on political neutrality."

3 HOUR FINAL?

Whatever you are doing on Monday at 5am AEST, make sure the coffee is on, we are in for potentially the longest World Cup final in history.

If Spain's showdown against England or Argentina goes the distance - dreaded penalties - we could be in for three hours of action.

That is taking into accountt he hydration breaks, added time, extra-time penalties and now the possibility of a 30-minute half-time show.

While FIFA rules state the mid-way break cannot exceed a quarter-of-an-hour, rules are there to be broken right?

Justin Bieber, Shakira, Madonna, BTS, Burna Boy and Gustavo Dudamel are among the names set to headline the show which is being directed by Chris Martin of Coldplay.

Robbie Williams will also be involved in a 90 minute pre-match closing ceremony along with Tom Cruise.