Spain shatter Argentina's World Cup dream

**Paul Moss** (0:00)
This is The Global News Podcast. I'm Paul Moss, and in the early hours of Monday, the 20th of July, these are our main stories. There have been celebrations across Spain after the men's football team became world champions for a second time, beating Argentina in the final. More than 60 people remain unaccounted for after a ferry sank off Guyana.
Also, in this podcast...

**Kelly Mbayo** (0:30)
I'm afraid, but what can I do? I can't do anything. God protect us.

**Paul Moss** (0:34)
We hear from West Africa about the terrible health hazards faced by miners digging for gold, why the latest trend in fingernail fashion has raised questions about money, class and the politics of race, and the marathon that's just been held at the North Pole.
So, it's over. The World Cup 2026 has come to an end with an extended game that had spectators on the edge of their seats all the way to the final whistle. Joy for Spain, disappointment for Argentina. And let's be honest, perhaps just a little relief for all of those who don't actually like football. But for those who are passionate about it, it's only been a tournament to remember, and not just for what happened on the pitch. In a moment, we'll look at the claim that commercial priorities really did become way too prominent this time round. And then, of course, there were those allegations of interference by Donald Trump. But first, let's suck up some of the positive, or should I say ecstatic, emotions on the streets of Madrid, with our correspondent there, Guy Hedgeco.

**Guy Hedgeco** (1:43)
I'm right next to the Plaza de Colón, and that's a square in central Madrid where a giant screen has been showing the game to thousands of fans. As soon as Ferran Torres scored the winner for Spain, the place erupted, thousands of fans cheering, and then a few minutes later the final whistle went and people started dancing around. I think that the party is going to go on lakes into the night because it's 16 years since Spain won their last and only World Cup, so it's been a long wait.
Spain came into this tournament as one of the favorites, but earlier on in the tournament, fans were slightly underwhelmed by some of the performances and were wondering where the magic was. And then I think that came in the semifinal against France when Spain completely outclassed the French team. And so there was so much optimism going into this final. I think many Spanish fans thought it was going to be relatively easy to defeat Argentina. And of course, it was pretty tough. It got to halftime, it was nil-nil. I think many Spanish fans were wondering why the team couldn't convert all that possession they'd had into goals. The closer it got to full time, the more nervous the fans were getting because they really didn't want it to go to penalties because that's such a lottery. But fortunately, we had that late goal in extra time and it gave them the World Cup.
It's a team which relies on Spain's unique style of football. Keeping possession, attacking football, pressing insistently, it hasn't always paid dividends. But back in 2010 it did when it won the World Cup and 16 years later, that same style has won the World Cup again.

**Paul Moss** (3:27)
Guy Hedgeco in the Spanish capital Madrid with a few extra contributions by happy fans.
Not so happy, of course, Argentina's own supporters and particular disappointment for their star striker, Lionel Messi, who throughout the tournament had shown why he's widely considered the best football player of all time. At 39 years old, though, this was almost certainly the last time Messi will take to the field in a World Cup. Many hoped his last performance there would be a victorious one, but it was not to be. Veronica Smink in Buenos Aires was amongst those feeling the letdown.

**Veronica Smink** (4:02)
We kept the hope till the end, but it has to be said that Spain was superior from the start. The Argentines seem to have run out of gas. We were missing that magic, that extra energy, that extra garras, as they call it here, that extra grit that characterizes the Argentines, who always play with such heart. There was also a big age difference, not only Lamine Yamal, but many other Spanish players have been photographed with Lionel Messi when they were children. So that just shows, you know, there was a big age difference, and many of the matches went into extra time, so they really ran out of gas. But we're really, really sad that Lionel Messi didn't get the send-off that he deserved.