Spain's World Cup win sends Alcaraz and Nadal into party mode
Ferran Torres scored in extra time as Spain beat Argentina 1-0, then Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal and more piled onto X to celebrate.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
Ferran Torres turned Spain into World Cup champions again with a 106th-minute goal, and the celebration spilled straight from East Rutherford to X.
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time Sunday at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, according to ESPN’s match coverage. The win gave Spain its first World Cup title since 2010.
ESPN reported that Spain controlled the final for long stretches. Argentina did not record a shot during regulation time, and Spain ended the match with a 20-2 advantage in shots.
The result also left Spain holding two of soccer’s biggest trophies at once. ESPN noted that Spain won the UEFA European Championship in 2024 and now has followed it with the 2026 World Cup.
According to ESPN Research, this is the third time the reigning European champion has gone on to win the next World Cup. The previous examples were Spain from 2008 to 2010 and West Germany from 1972 to 1974.
Spanish stars hit send
Carlos Alcaraz was among the first big Spanish names to celebrate online. In a post on X after the final, the tennis star wrote, “VAMOOOOOOOS ESPAÑA” and added two star emojis.
Minutes later, Alcaraz posted again with a string of Spain flag emojis and more exclamation marks. The first post had drawn 69.6K likes in the embed shown by ESPN, while the follow-up had 71.7K.
Rafael Nadal joined in from Manacor, Spain, according to the location shown on his X post. Nadal wrote, “VAMOOOOOOOS,” followed by a Spain flag and trophy emoji, then added in Spanish that Spain were world champions for the second time, with two star emojis.
Nadal’s post included a video thumbnail and had 66K likes in the embed cited by ESPN.
More reaction from the sports world
Spain’s moment drew reaction beyond tennis. Basketball great Pau Gasol posted “CAMPEONES DEL MUNDO,” with trophy and globe emojis, alongside an image on X.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams reacted from the other side of the final. His X post read “Messi” with a teary emoji, a nod to Argentina’s Lionel Messi after the defeat.
ESPN’s reaction module on the story showed readers piling in as well, with 823 total reactions displayed. The largest category was “Like,” listed at 800, followed by “Fire” at 11 and “Celebrate” at 9.
For Spain, the online roar matched the scoreline’s weight. One extra-time goal, a defensive clampdown and a fresh round of trophy emojis were enough to close the 2026 World Cup with La Roja back on top.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.