BACKPanini Instant Recap: Spain Crowned Champs of FIFA World Cup 2026™
Writer: Julio Vega
The FIFA World Cup 2026™ wrapped with two iconic matches, one that saw Spain crown itself as the best team on the planet and another that featured a frankly ridiculous 10 goals.
These final two games had just about everything, from dramatic chances to sensational saves to tears of pain and joy alike.
Spain snags victory vs. Argentina in extra time
Spain emerged with its second-ever tournament title win after holding a star-studded and resilient Argentina scoreless. La Roja were the more active team in the contest, dominating in attack and generating plenty of chances. The breakthrough finally came in the 106th minute, when Ferran Torres cemented his place in La Roja lore with a well-taken volley after Nico Williams laid off a dangerous cross with a cushioning header into space.
Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez was a busy man in the affair, recording 11 saves, the most ever in a FIFA World Cup™ final and making sure Spain earned the trophy. La Albiceleste attempted to stifle Spain’s possession-first style with its physicality, but that came at the cost of the team’s own offensive output. The team failed to record a shot on target and totaled just two across 120 minutes.
On top of a dominant showing in the final, Spain swept the individual awards. Captain and midfield general Rodri took home the Golden Ball after being at the heart of the team’s savvy passing game.
In a tournament that was full of magnificent goalkeeping performances, Unai Simón got his hands on the Golden Glove. The commander of a stellar back line, he played every minute of Spain’s run and allowed just one goal (vs. Belgium in the quarterfinals) across eight games, setting a new FIFA World Cup™ standard.
Teenage starlet Pau Cubarsí was vital to Spain’s defense, being one of two outfielders (alongside Marc Cucurella) who played every minute of the tournament, and took home the FIFA Young Player Award.
England charges to third-place over France
In what might have been one of the wildest matches in FIFA World Cup™ history, England went home with the bronze medal, the country’s first podium finish since winning it all in 1966. While just about everyone would prefer to have won the big prize, securing bronze is worth highlighting just as well.
England charged to a four-goal lead by halftime, with Declan Rice powering home the opener, Ezri Konsa nodding one in off a corner and Bukayo Saka netting the next two with a pair of nifty left-footed finishes.
Only until after the break did France respond with its own firepower. Les Bleus found the net three times in just over 20 minutes of the restart, with two coming from Kylian Mbappé and another from Bradley Barcola.
France searched for an equalizer and the one-goal difference held until the 87th minute, when Saka completed his hat trick with a penalty. France made one final push for the comeback with Ousmane Dembélé’s curler in stoppage time. However, it was Jude Bellingham who broke through the back line and steered home a sensational solo goal to snag a sixth and secure the win.
The back-and-forth affair, the comeback that wasn’t and the records broken in this game (most notably, the most goals ever in a third-place match) made this an instant FIFA World Cup™ classic.
With his two goals, Mbappe finished as the tournament’s leading scorer (10) and won his second Golden Boot, the first player to ever win the award multiple times. He also ranks as the leading scorer in tournament history (22), one ahead of Messi. His performances across the event helped him land the Bronze Ball.
In total, there were over 250 Panini Instant cards produced from the start of this edition until Spain lifted the trophy. Players who received cards for the championship tilt include the aforementioned Cubarsí, Torres and Simón, as well as Lionel Messi, who likely capped a legendary FIFA World Cup™ career during the hard-fought final.
