New York, July 20: Substitute Ferran Torres said destiny was written for Spain to win the World Cup after his extra-time strike sealed a 1-0 victory over 10-man Argentina in the final.

Substitute Ferran Torres said destiny was written for Spain to win the World Cup after his extra-time strike sealed a 1-0 victory over 10-man Argentina in Sunday’s final.

Torres, who replaced Mikel Oyarzabal in the 62nd minute, swept home Nico Williams’ knockdown in the 106th minute to hand Spain its second World Cup title and first since 2010.

“I think in the end the goal came from 47 million people, not just those of us that are here,” said Torres, who hadn’t scored in the tournament before Sunday.

“Today destiny was written, it was made for us to win. We’re far from our people today but we tried to be as close as possible to them.”

The Barcelona forward admitted facing Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the final had been a daunting prospect, but said Spain never doubted its approach.

“Finals are hard. When you have Messi on the opposing team, you do get worried, but we always backed ourselves and tried to show our football and I think we managed to do it once again,” he said.

Torres had come under scrutiny during the tournament before his match-winning intervention on Sunday.

“It was a huge relief [to score],” he said. “I’ve been criticised throughout the whole tournament, but as I said before destiny was written,” he added.

Thiruvananthapuram, July 19: Kerala’s passion for football reached a new high on Sunday as the state government declared a holiday on Monday for all educational institutions, allowing students to stay up and watch the FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina without worrying about attending classes the next morning.

The holiday covers schools under the General Education Department as well as colleges, universities and professional institutions under the Higher Education Department.

The decision was taken following directions from Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan after thousands of football enthusiasts, particularly students, appealed through social media for a holiday.

The final is scheduled to kick off at 12.30 a.m. IST on Monday, making it difficult for students to attend classes after a late-night match.

Football enjoys an unmatched following in Kerala, where the sport is often celebrated with a passion rivalled only by cricket in other parts of the country.

In the days leading up to the final, towns and villages across the state have been transformed into football arenas, with giant cut-outs of international stars towering over roadsides, junctions and playgrounds.

Supporters of Spain and Argentina have erected massive banners, flags and decorative arches, while local fan clubs have organised public screenings, rallies and celebrations, creating a festive atmosphere across Kerala.

The overwhelming response from football fans played a key role in the government’s decision. Several schools in Ernakulam had already announced a holiday on their own after receiving requests from students and parents.

The state government’s announcement brought uniformity to the decision, ensuring that students across Kerala could enjoy the championship match.

Higher Education Minister Roji M. John announced that all higher education institutions, including professional colleges, would remain closed on Monday. He said the decision would enable students to watch one of world football’s biggest sporting events without the inconvenience of travelling to campuses after a sleepless night.

General Education Minister N. Samsudheen also confirmed a holiday for schools under his department through a social media post, opening his message with the playful words, “Happy now, kids?”

He said the government had considered the sentiments of football-loving students before taking the decision.

With public viewing centres, giant screens and football-themed celebrations planned across the state, Kerala is set to witness another unforgettable night as lakhs of fans unite to cheer their favourite teams in the FIFA World Cup final.

New York, July 19: Defending champions Argentina will take on the European winners Spain in the final of the biggest-ever FIFA World Cup, with the 104th match to be played at the MetLife Stadium on Monday (IST).

Spain reached the final after outclassing favourites France in the semi-finals. Luis de la Fuente’s side controlled the match from start to finish, suffocating the high-powered France attack through long spells of possession and precise finishing.

That semi-final match against Les Bleus was the high point of Spain’s campaign so far. La Roja began their World Cup adventure by topping Group H, although it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Surprise package Cabo Verde held them to a scoreless draw in their opening match before De la Fuente’s men made up for their slow start by putting four past Saudi Arabia and then rounding off their group stage with a 1-0 victory over a feisty Uruguay.

Spain cruised through the Round of 32 with a comfortable 3-0 win over Austria. But in the following two rounds they needed late winning goals from Mikel Merino to overcome tough European opponents. The first of Merino’s strikes, in the Round of 16, came against Portugal (1–0) . They followed that up with a second last-gasp victory against Belgium (2–1) in a match in which they conceded what has, so far, been their only goal against of the tournament.

The defending champions opened their campaign with three successive group stage victories, led by the extraordinary Lionel Messi, who now has eight goals in this tournament and 21 across his long World Cup career. In the knockout rounds, their road got much more difficult. Lionel Scaloni’s men needed extra time to overcome a defiant Cabo Verde side in a 3-2 thriller. In the Round of 16, the score was the same and the match even more dramatic: Egypt held a 2-0 lead entering the 79th minute, but Argentina flipped the script, producing a historic comeback to win 3-2.

In the last eight, Argentina went blow for blow with Switzerland and needed extra time to eventually defeat opponents who, at 1-1, had gone down to ten men. Julian Alvarez eventually broke their resistance with a magnificent goal, and Lautaro Martinez added a third for good measure.

The drama did not stop in the semi-final against England, who took the lead early in the second half thanks to Anthony Gordon and looked set to run down the clock. However, the Albiceleste once again rallied thanks to a long-range strike from Enzo Fernandez and a back-post header from substitute Martinez. As a result, Argentina now return to the final four years on from Qatar 2022 triumph against France, and once again European opposition stand between them and the World Cup trophy.

How to watch Argentina vs Spain Final live in India

Live streaming and live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final will be available on the Zee5 platform and app in India. A subscription will be needed.

Live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be available on the Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD TV channels in India.

Key details

Date and kick-off time: Monday, July 20, 12:30 AM IST

Venue: MetLife Stadium, New York.

Referee: Slavko Vincic

Squads:

Spain –

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon, David Raya, Joan Garcia

Defenders: Pedro Porro, Marcos Llorente, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Pubill, Eric Garcia, Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo

Midfielders: Rodrigo Hernandez, Martin Zubimendi, Pedri Gonzalez, Fabian Ruiz, Mikel Merino, Pablo Paez ‘Gavi’, Alex Baena

Forwards: Mikel Oyarzabal, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Borja Iglesias, Dani Olmo, Victor Munoz, Nico Williams, Yeremy Pin

Argentina-

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Juan Musso

Defenders: Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolas Tagliafico, Facundo Medina

Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Enzo Fernandez, Valentin Barco

Forwards: Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, Thiago Almada, Nicolas Paz, Nicolas Gonzalez, Giuliano Simeone, Jose Manuel Lopez