Spain ended their 2026 World Cup campaign with unforgettable celebrations after defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra time, but the party inside the dressing room proved almost as memorable as the final itself.
Ferran Torres’ extra-time winner delivered Spain’s second World Cup title. Afterwards, Rodri lifted the trophy as captain before the celebrations quickly shifted behind the scenes.
Players walked out carrying far more than medals. Rodri left with the World Cup trophy, the tournament’s Best Player award and a replica trophy packed inside a Louis Vuitton case. Pau Cubarsí also carried his Best Young Player prize alongside his own replica.
Meanwhile, teammates collected shirts, boots, footballs and even pieces of the goal net as keepsakes from one of the greatest nights in Spanish football history. The squad also received commemorative rings to mark their success.
The dressing room soon erupted into celebration. Champagne flowed freely while music blasted from a large portable speaker as players danced with family members and coaching staff before rushing to catch their flight home.
Lamine Yamal embraced Lionel Messi after the final whistle in one of the night’s standout images. Elsewhere, Nico Williams handed his winners’ medal to his mother before joining the celebrations.
Rodri later described winning the World Cup as the greatest achievement of his career after growing up watching Spain’s 2010 triumph led by Iker Casillas and Andrés Iniesta.
However, one promise now threatens to become the most talked-about souvenir of them all.
Before the final, Marc Cucurella vowed he would tattoo Spain coach Luis de la Fuente’s face on his body if La Roja became world champions.
Spain kept their side of the bargain by lifting the trophy. Now De la Fuente expects his left-back to honour his own.
“They made a mistake and they will stick to their word,” the coach joked after the victory. “I’m not that ugly.”
Asked where the tattoo should go, De la Fuente laughed again before suggesting it should be “somewhere it is not visible.”
The light-hearted exchange perfectly summed up Spain’s mood after a tournament they dominated from start to finish. They left the United States as world champions, with memories, medals, trophy trunks and one unforgettable tattoo promise to take home.
