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The victory of Spain over Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final not only made La Roja a two-time world champion, but also provoked a strong reaction from the European press. Media in France and Austria coincided in highlighting the superiority of the team coached by Luis de la Fuente and harshly questioned the performance of Lionel Messi and La Albiceleste.
After the 1-0 Spanish victory, thanks to Ferran Torres' goal in extra time, several newspapers described Spain as "the best national team of the 21st century," while describing Argentina as a team without ideas and far from the expected level in the grand final.
La prensa francesa corona a España como "los nuevos reyes" del fútbol
The sports daily L'Equipe carried the headline "The New Kings" on its front page, asserting that Spain won its second World Cup after defeating Argentina in an intense final held in New York.
For the French newspaper, the Spanish team confirmed its international dominance by adding a World Cup and three European Championships in less than two decades, consolidating itself as "the best national team of the 21st century."
Furthermore, it highlighted that Spain imposed its style of play for much of the match, while Argentina offered a performance well below expectations.
"Messi estuvo desaparecido"
One of the aspects most commented on by the French press was the poor performance of Lionel Messi in what was his final World Cup match.
L'Equipe stated that the Argentine star was "missing" during the final and described the South American team as "unrecognizable and completely harmless" in the face of Spanish dominance.
The newspaper also highlighted that Spain's success was built on "solidity, balance, and a collective performance superior to all others," while also noting that the team has accumulated 38 games without knowing defeat, the longest streak recorded by a European or South American national team.
Le Monde critica el juego de Argentina
The newspaper Le Monde also praised the level shown by Spain throughout the tournament and stated that it was "the best national team of the 2026 World Cup."
In contrast, it described Argentina's participation as disappointing, noting that the team "was eliminated without glory" and will be remembered "not necessarily for the right reasons," due to its aggressive defense and lack of creativity in attack.
The French media also mentioned the controversy generated by some refereeing decisions that, in its opinion, favored the Argentine team during the championship.
La prensa de Austria fue igual de contundente con Messi y Argentina
Austrian media shared a similar view after the final.
The newspaper Die Presse stated that "Lionel Messi's last World Cup match was disappointing" and launched one of the harshest phrases against La Albiceleste:
"Argentina seemed to have forgotten how to play soccer."
For its part, Der Standard maintained that there was never any doubt about which was the best team in the tournament and asserted that Spain dominated the final practically from start to finish.
The Viennese newspaper added that, although Argentina resisted for several minutes with a defensive approach, La Furia Roja was clearly superior and ended up winning justly in extra time.
Trump también protagonizó un momento polémico
Another of the episodes that caught the attention of the French press occurred during the awards ceremony.
Media outlets such as Le Figaro highlighted the moment when the President of the United States, Donald Trump, remained on the podium when the Spanish players were about to lift the trophy.
The newspaper described the scene as "very uncomfortable" and pointed out that Trump, true to his style, tried to hog the attention during the celebration of the new world champion.
[Publicidad]