Argentina appeared to be sore losers after their listless effort against Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
La Furia Roja outclassed La Albiceleste in a 1-0 Spanish victory that was not as close as the final score suggested. Spain held possession for 68 percent of the match and took 20 shots, with 11 on target. In contrast, Argentina failed to record a single shot on goal across the first 90 minutes of play.
Lionel Messi took Argentina’s first shot on goal in the 116th minute of extra time, with his side already in desperation mode down 1-0.
As United States President Donald Trump presented Spain with their World Cup trophy, nearly the entire Argentinian squad had their backs turned on the team that beat them.
Argentina players with their backs to the Spain trophy presentation pic.twitter.com/NlQH9oNH1U
— Mark Ogden (@MarkOgden_) July 19, 2026
Argentina showed little class in defeat from the moment the match referee blew the final whistle. Once the Spanish celebration began, a few Argentinian players caused a ruckus that led to a physical altercation.
Terrible, embarassing behaviour by the Argentinians after losing to a much better team. pic.twitter.com/VX1gtIGobF
— Rasmus Jarlov (@RasmusJarlov) July 19, 2026
Argentina appeared to be the team of destiny entering Sunday’s World Cup final. Messi led La Albiceleste to comeback after comeback to reach soccer’s grandest stage. But Argentina’s magic ran out right at the end, and so did the team’s sportsmanship.
Spain had one of the most dominant World Cup runs in history. La Rojo allowed just a single goal all tournament to secure Spain’s second World Cup trophy.
