Spain beats Argentina to win World Cup
President Donald Trump presented the World Cup trophy to Spain, the winner of Sunday's final against Argentina. But to him, the real victor of soccer's premier tournament just might be the United States.
"It turned out we were a soccer country, and I think it's going to remain," Trump said Friday at a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in New York City. "This has really brought the world together."
For the White House, Sunday's match was the culmination of well over a year of navigating a litany of logistical challenges alongside co-hosts Canada and Mexico for what would be the biggest World Cup in history. It had to balance the Trump administration's hard-line migration policies that barred fans from some World Cup qualifier countries from entry into the United States.
Spain won the tournament with a 1-0 victory over defending champion Argentina.
The event also featured a star-studded closing ceremony and the World Cup's first-ever halftime show with headliners Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira, BTS and the Muppets performing.
President Donald Trump watched the match at New York New Jersey Stadium, aka MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey from a box alongside the leaders of Mexico and Canada and with the King of Spain.
Who is on the pitch?
This will likely be the final World Cup for Argentina's superstar forward Lionel Messi, whose legendary career spans two decades. Messi and Argentina are looking to repeat their 2022 World Cup win over France with a victory Sunday.
Spain, meanwhile, is looking to capitalize on 19-year-old phenomenon Lamine Yamal, who helped lead Spain to the European championship in 2024. Spain has only allowed one goal in the 2026 World Cup and the team is counting on that strong defense to keep Argentina's strikers at bay Sunday.
Closing ceremony added more stars to the show
The closing ceremony before the match added some serious star power to the lineup.
Post Malone was the headline performer for the ceremony. Actor Tom Cruise, singers Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger and Robbie Williams, and streamer IShowSpeed were also featured in the ceremony.
Additionally, Jennifer Hudson performed the national anthem ahead of the match.
- 1st-ever halftime show featured big names
This year, the World Cup final included the event's first-ever halftime show. Global superstars Madonna, BTS, Shakira and Justin Bieber were the headliners, with the Muppets also performing.
The halftime show also included performances by singer Burna Boy, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, and the PS22 Chorus, the acclaimed choir of 4th and 5th graders from a public elementary school in Staten Island, New York. Coldplay also performed.
The match aired live in the U.S. on FOX (English-language broadcast) and Telemundo (Spanish-language broadcast), and streamed on FOX One and Peacock.
