Spain closed out the 2026 World Cup the hard way, needing extra time to put away a 10-man Argentina side that fought to the final whistle. Ferran Torres, a 62nd-minute substitute, buried the winner in the 106th minute after Nico Williams won a header at the back post and knocked it down for him to finish from close range. Final score: 1-0, and La Roja's second World Cup star.
Argentina didn't make it easy on themselves either. They played the final stretch a man down after Enzo Fernández was sent off for a foul on Pau Cubarsí, and that red card ultimately opened the door Spain needed. It's a brutal way for Messi's generation to watch a final slip away, and it's exactly the kind of ending that gets a fan base — and a media company built on fan bases — talking for days.
Not every reaction was about tactics. The single moment that took over group chats and timelines was a toddler in a tiny Spain kit sprinting onto the pitch to jump into the arms of Lamine Yamal after the final whistle. Barstool ran with the nickname immediately, dubbing the kid Keyne Yamal and declaring the trophy his by association.
The star of the World Cup, Keyne, celebrating with his big brother Lamine Yamal https://t.co/c8J7C8W85Z
On the broadcast side, the final also doubled as a farewell. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in his first year as a FOX Sports studio analyst, used his postgame sign-off to announce he's done in the studio — a genuinely surprising exit for a guy who'd been one of the breakout personalities of the tournament's coverage.
Zlatan retires from covering the World cup the only way Zlatan can "this is my farewell to the studio. This was the first and last time for me.“ https://t.co/jgGNmmYY3b
Back on the Barstool side, the takes got a lot less diplomatic. BFW went on a full rant about Argentina's style of play during a Mostly Sports segment, calling the way they closed out the tournament bullying, diving and generally miserable to watch.
“Watching Argentina play soccer made my dick hole itch! It was awful! They’re bullies, they’re assholes, they’re floppers, they’re divas” -BFW on Mostly Sports https://t.co/GqvSgEM7ZK
He wasn't done there either — in the same breath he argued the final basically proved every soccer skeptic right, calling the game itself "not fun" and "not good." It's the kind of hot take built for engagement, but it also captures a real strain of American sports-media skepticism toward the sport even in a tournament this country co-hosted.
Dave Portnoy took the softer, sillier route on Wake Up Barstool, cracking jokes about becoming a soccer coach and pushing his usual bit about needing to "Americanize" the sport — all while the show's chyron ran through the final score and the halftime show lineup behind him.
The night didn't end when the final whistle blew. Tate McRae was also spotted heading into the same SKYLRK afterparty, and out in the streets of Barcelona, fans turned the city into an all-night party for Spain's second title — flags out of car windows, people climbing onto anything with four wheels. Between the tactics debates, the toddler mascot, a legend's TV retirement and a celebrity afterparty, Spain's win somehow became the gift that keeps giving for Barstool's content calendar, and it doesn't look like it's slowing down anytime soon.