Historic Moments Mark 2026 World Cup Final as Spain Claims Victory
The 2026 World Cup final might not be remembered as a superb football match but it will at least go down in history for all that surrounded it.
There was the longest half-time in history, featuring performances from artists including Madonna and Justin Bieber, a pre-kick-off speech from Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise, an appearance by US president Donald Trump and fireworks. Lots of fireworks – all in broad daylight.
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Spain won the trophy for the second time, beating Argentina through a Ferran Torres goal in extra time but there was little else to talk about in the game itself. Plenty happened around the game, though, with these some of the most memorable moments.
Trump Meets the World Cup Trophy
This World Cup was co-hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada but it has been the United States which has garnered much of the attention, particularly around comments or actions by Trump.
He previously stated that this has been a World Cup like no other – and he’s certainly not wrong about that, not least with the controversy of US striker Folarin Balogun avoiding a ban despite being sent off.
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That came after Trump admitted he had spoken to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, asking him to review the sending-off. The lifting of the suspension meant Balogun was able to play for the USA in the last-16 loss to Belgium.
Perhaps just as surprising was Trump’s lack of attendance at games throughout the tournament. He had not been to a single match prior to the final, meaning all eyes were on his appearance at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.
His arrival was visible to those in the stadium as he was in one of three helicopters that flew overhead before doing a circuit of it and then landing.
He appeared to take his seat – alongside Infantino – about 20 minutes before kick-off, just in time to watch Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger perform in the closing ceremony.
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He was later seen in the first half being shown the trophy.
The Longest Half-Time in History
As well as Trump’s appearance, the other big talking point in the lead-up to the final was the Super Bowl-style half-time show.
While the mid-game break is usually for players to recover from first-half exertion, coaches to give a team-talk and fans to buy food and drinks, this time it was extended to allow a mini-concert to take place.
There were some big names featured – Madonna, BTS, Coldplay, and Shakira, whose song ‘Dai Dai’ is the official anthem of the World Cup – all starred, while there was also an appearance by Justin Bieber.
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After getting a pep talk from Ted Lasso and his assistant coach Beard, Bieber changed the pace of the otherwise energetic performances with an acoustic guitar version of ‘Everything Hallelujah’.
The half-time interval lasted 27 minutes, but did it work? The reaction among fans was a bit mixed – but inside the Match of the Day studio, the assessment by former England striker Wayne Rooney was pretty blunt.
“I thought it was crap,” he said. “I thought the performances were bad. The timings were bad. Just let us play football.”
Meanwhile, the closing ceremony before the match was similar in style to many other such ceremonies with loud music, dancing on the pitch though with the addition too of a somewhat dramatic speech by actor Cruise.
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Not Quite Centre Stage for the Trophy Lift (But Close)…
For neutrals, one of the most anticipated post-match moments centred around how visible a part Trump would play in the trophy presentation.
At the end of last year’s Club World Cup final, Trump got caught up with the Chelsea celebrations after presenting the trophy to captain Reece James.
On that occasion, having handed the main prize over, he remained on the stage for a few seconds alongside James and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez before eventually departing to the rear.
“They told me that he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage… but he wanted to stay,” said James, who was part of England’s squad for this year’s World Cup.
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At the end of Sunday’s World Cup final, Trump – who had joined Infantino in handing out the medals to both the winning and losing players – did linger again for the trophy presentation, although not for quite as long as he did for the Club World Cup.
There had also been boos when Trump and Infantino emerged for the trophy ceremony while at least one player also appeared to choose not to shake Trump’s hand, with Argentina defender Cristian Romero walking straight past him after receiving his medal from Infantino.
President Trump was on stage when the Spain players lifted the trophy… [AFP via Getty Images]
… but he didn’t stay long as he and Infantino left to let the Spain players celebrate the win [AFP via Getty Images]
Long Queues Before Kick-Off with Heightened Security
There were huge queues before the gates were opened to the public at the stadium [BBC]
This was certainly a glamorous World Cup final and there was no shortage of fireworks – they went off before kick-off, during the half-time show and after Spain’s trophy lift.
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But the hours beforehand will have felt anything but glamorous as heightened security meant those getting into the ground faced long queues.
With Trump attending in person, the United States secret service took over security for the game.
Gates for spectators opened at 11:00 local time – four hours before kick-off but stadium staff, performers, and media had been arriving since much earlier.
Confusion over access gates had led to some members of the media being told to go to one entrance, only to be told they had to go back and start again at the queue they had been in previously.
Bag checks were also more thorough than in previous games, contributing to the length of time people waited to get in.
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Despite that, congestion was eventually eased and the game kicked off without any delays.