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AI generated summary, newsroom reviewed
Spain are world champions for the second time in history. La Roja beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in Sunday's final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with substitute Ferran Torres scoring the only goal of the game in the 106th minute.
The win completed an unbeaten run through all eight matches and capped a tournament packed with individual brilliance, from a 39-year-old Lionel Messi chasing one last title to a teenage Spanish defender Lamine Yamal who barely looked fazed by any of it. So, who are the players who made the biggest impact? Check out the FIFA World Cup 2026 best players rankings with Lionel Messi, Mbappe, Rodri, Jude Bellingham, Unai Simon, Pau Cubarsi, Erling Haaland, and others in the top 10 list. These are the tournament's 10 standout performers, based on official FIFA awards, statistical output, and match-winning impact, as per FIFA’s post-tournament coverage.
Rodri was named the tournament's best player, taking home the Golden Ball, according to FIFA. The Manchester City midfielder, who returned only in mid-2025 from a serious knee injury, completed more passes than any other player at the tournament and logged nearly 200 more total involvements than his closest rival, per AP. He didn't find the net himself, but his control of Spain's midfield anchored a backline that conceded just once across eight games.
Position: Defensive midfielder / captain
Tournament stats: 753 completed passes (94% accuracy), most player involvements in the tournament (1,803), 0 goals, unbeaten in all 8 matches
At 39, Messi guided Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup final and was awarded the Silver Ball as tournament runner-up for player of the year, according to ESPN. He scored a hat trick in the semi-final that tied him for the all-time World Cup scoring record, and his 12 direct goal contributions were among the tournament's best.
Position: Forward / captain
Tournament stats: 8 goals, 4 assists (12 goal contributions)
Mbappe won the Golden Boot for the second straight World Cup after finishing as top scorer with 10 goals, becoming the first player since West Germany's Gerd Müller in 1970 to reach double digits in a single tournament. He scored twice in France's chaotic 6-4 loss to England in the third-place play-off, a result that also pushed his career tally to 22 World Cup goals, one more than Messi, making him the all-time leading scorer in men's World Cup history.
Position: Forward / captain
Tournament stats: 10 goals, 4 assists
Jude Bellingham was the driving force behind England's run to third place, becoming the first midfielder ever to score seven goals in a single World Cup, according to FIFA.com. His campaign included a game-winning goal against Croatia, a brace in the round-of-16 win over Mexico, another brace in the quarter-final against Norway, and the late strike that sealed England's third-place win over France. He picked up four Player of the Match awards along the way, second only to Messi's five, as per FIFA's official tournament data.
Position: Midfielder
Tournament stats: 7 goals, 1 assist
Unai Simon was awarded the Golden Glove for the tournament's best goalkeeping performance, conceding only once in eight matches, against Belgium, while setting a new World Cup record of 650 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal. No team has ever won the World Cup while conceding fewer goals than Spain did in 2026.
Position: Goalkeeper
Tournament stats: 7 clean sheets in 8 matches, 1 goal conceded, 90.9% save percentage
At 19, Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi won the Best Young Player award, beating out his own teammate, 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, for the honour, according to ESPN. Cubarsi started every match of Spain's title run, pairing composure on the ball with the defensive discipline that helped La Roja concede just one goal all tournament.
Position: Centre-back
Tournament stats: Played all 8 matches, anchored Spain's league-best defense
Haaland made an explosive World Cup debut, scoring seven goals, including a brace against Brazil in the round of 16, to help Norway reach the quarter-finals in their first World Cup appearance since 1998, matching the country's best-ever finish, according to FIFA.com. His streak of scoring in 14 straight competitive matches for Norway ended when England eliminated Norway 2-1 in the quarter-final. Haaland finished level with Bellingham on seven goals but placed fourth in the Golden Boot race on the assists tiebreaker.
Position: Striker
Tournament stats: 7 goals across Norway's first four matches
Dembele had his best international tournament to date as one of France's most dangerous attacking threats, finishing tied for fifth in the tournament's scoring charts alongside Harry Kane. He was a persistent outlet down the flanks for Les Bleus through their run to the third-place match.
Position: Winger
Tournament stats: 6 goals
England captain Harry Kane led the frontline alongside Bellingham, finishing with six goals to help the Three Lions reach their first World Cup semi-final since 2018 before settling for third place.
Position: Striker
Tournament stats: 6 goals
Torres went scoreless through Spain's first seven matches before picking the biggest possible moment to end his drought, scoring the only goal of the final 39 seconds into the second half of extra time, according to FIFA's Golden Boot tracker. The 26-year-old was named Man of the Match in the final, sealing Spain's second World Cup title and ending the country's 16-year wait for another.
Position: Forward
Tournament stats: 1 goal - the World Cup-winning strike