Spain raised its second World Cup trophy Sunday night in East Rutherford, and Argentina couldn’t bring itself to watch.
As Spain captain Rodri lifted the cup at New York New Jersey Stadium, the entire Argentine squad turned away from the stage, choosing instead to face their own supporters in the stands. Runners-up traditionally stand and observe the winners’ celebration. Argentina broke that custom, and the gesture drew swift criticism from Spanish fans and neutral observers. Members of Spain’s locker room were surprised by the move, according to reports.
The scene capped a final that had simmered from the opening whistle. Argentina was widely criticized for a physical approach and repeated attempts to disrupt Spain’s flow. Tempers flared when Nahuel Molina and Leandro Paredes clashed with Rodri, Eric García, and Gavi, with the Spain midfielder ending up on the ground during the confrontation. Lionel Scaloni’s calming presence after the final whistle, along with an emotional Lionel Messi, helped ease some of the tension — but the ceremony gesture reopened it.
Ferran Torres, a substitute, scored the only goal in extra time to give Spain a 1-0 victory and its first World Cup title since 2010. Rodri was named best player of the tournament. For Messi, it was likely his last World Cup appearance in his sixth tournament.
You shake the other man’s hand, look him in the eye, and tip your cap. That’s not old-fashioned — that’s just how the game works at every level from peewee to the biggest stage there is. The film doesn’t lie.
The trophy presentation carried its own awkwardness beyond Argentina’s gesture. U.S. President Donald Trump, who handed Rodri the trophy, appeared to linger on stage. The Spain captain slightly turned his back on him and lifted the trophy amid his teammates before Trump was eventually encouraged to leave by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Back in Spain, the victory celebrations turned tragic. In Ciudad Rodrigo, a walled medieval city of about 12,000 in Salamanca province near the Portuguese border, hundreds had gathered at the Árbol Gordo fountain in the city center. Shortly after 12:30 a.m. local time, the upper portion of the monument broke loose and struck several people after numerous celebrants had climbed onto it.
A 13-year-old boy was killed. Two other young people were injured, including a child hospitalized with a possible broken leg. Emergency services dispatched a mobile intensive care unit and a basic life support ambulance. The Civil Guard was called to the local health center to investigate the death and to activate psychological support for the boy’s family.
“What was supposed to be a celebration for the victory in the Spanish National Football Team’s World Cup has turned into a tragedy,” Ciudad Rodrigo’s town hall posted.
The tournament, the first to feature 48 teams and 104 matches across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, drew approximately 6.7 million fans. France’s Kylian Mbappé won the Golden Boot with 10 goals — the first man since Gerd Müller in 1970 to reach that mark at a single World Cup.
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