The 2026 World Cup is a wrap!
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time in the final on Sunday, July 19 in East Rutherford, N.J.
Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the 106th minute. It was his first goal of the 2026 tournament and third World Cup goal overall.
Not only was the winning side crowned on the final day of the month-long competition, but there were several other awards that were given out. Spain had a solid day, nearly sweeping the individual trophies along with their second World Cup title.
Heading into the finale, Lionel Messi was in the race for the Golden Boot, the trophy given to the leading goal-scorer of the tournament, but he failed to score in the loss. Argentina, who was hoping to defend their 2022 World Cup win, had zero shots on goal in the match.
Here are the winners of the 2026 World Cup player awards:
Rodri, Spain - Golden Ball (best player in the tournament)
Spain's Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, better known as Rodri, has been awarded the Golden Ball for the 2026 World Cup as the best player in the tournament.
The captain of La Roja orchestrated a midfield that authored six clean-sheet victories, including in the final. In the semifinal match Rodri won 11 duels, more than the entire French midfield, to propel Spain to the final.
He is the 11th player to win the World Cup, Champions League and Ballon d’Or.
Kylian Mbappé, France - Golden Boot (most goals in the tournament)
For the first time in men's or women's World Cup history, there is a back-to-back Golden Boot winner.
France's Kylian Mbappe, helped along by a two-goal performance in the third-place game against England on Saturday, July 18, was able to edge out Argentina's Lionel Messi and win the honor of the World Cup's leading goal scorer, netting 10 goals to Messi's eight.
The two were neck-and-neck in both goals and assists at eight and four, respectively, heading into the weekend, but an offensive exhibition between England and France that ended in a 6-4 win for England ultimately proved to be the difference.
Unai Simón, Spain - Golden Glove (best goalkeeper)
Unai Simon made history in this World Cup even before the final kicked off. Now he has the hardware to go with it.
The Spain goalkeeper won the Golden Glove as the best goalkeeper at the 2026 World Cup on Sunday, July 19, capping a tournament during which he allowed one goal in eight matches and set records that had stood for decades.
On Sunday, he put up his seventh clean match sheet as Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time for the World Cup title.
Pau Cubarsí, Spain - Best Young Player (best player under 21 years old)
La Roja won a World Cup title, its second in team history, $50 million, and championship rings. It also cleaned up in the individual awards, including the FIFA Young Player Award.
To be eligible for this year's award, a player must have been less than 21 years old at the start of 2026. That made Spain's Pau Cubarsí (19 years old) the perfect candidate to win. Cubarsi appeared in 8 matches for Spain.
The award is relatively innovative. It was first awarded in 2006 when Germany's Lukas Podolski won the prize. Podolski was followed by some of the best players in his generation, Thomas Müller, Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and Enzo Fernández.
Source: USA Today
