A Final Beyond Football: Spain, Trump and Controversies

Cemre Sanlav
5 hours ago
2 min read

On July 19, 2026 the final match of the FIFA World Cup was played between the previous winner Argentina and Spain. The match was highly anticipated as both teams featured star players, with particular attention on Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Spain’s Lamine Yamal.

Many celebrities were in the stadium as the match was played: Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Rihanna and ASAP Rocky, Drake, David Beckham and Victoria Beckham, Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner were just some of the well-known names that followed the match.

The final game included a half-time show, starring Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Justin Bieber and many more artists. The fact that this half-time show was not streamed on TRT 1, or Tabii, which was the main streaming channel of the World Cup for Turkiye, raised criticism from Turkish fans. While the reason for the show not being streamed is not disclosed, many suggested that the reason behind it was the importance given to broadcasting policies and institutional assessments regarding the "show concept" presented on the field.

As the match followed a relatively steady momentum thoroughly, at 90+3’ Argentina’s Enzo Fernandes received a red card as a result of getting a second yellow in relation to his move against Spanish defender Pau Cubarsi. With the normal time ending with a 0-0 draw, the game extended to extra time.

In the end, the match ended with a 1-0 score, making Spain the grand champion. The goal was secured at 106th minute, by Ferran Torres who also plays for Barcelona.

While Spain were praised for possession-based play; Argentina was criticized for increasingly aggressive games. The criticisms regarding Argentina were prominent throughout the tournament, with the questions spiking debates on Argentina being protected against others on the road to the final. The controversy about the semifinal was especially significant. After the Argentina-England match, a political banner was held by Argentinian players: a move going against the known rule that it is not allowed to bring politics into the field by players or spectators. The fact that FIFA did not intervene led people into rethinking their trust on the refereeing decisions.

After the last whistle of the match, Spain’s national team stayed on the grass for the celebrations and the award ceremony. While each player received their own medals, the team secured the prestigious World Cup altogether. Besides the game, it was noticeable that United States President Donald Trump remained on stage during Spain's trophy lift, trying to get into the picture being taken as a team. FIFA President Gianni Infantino attempted to usher Trump to move away from the stage as Spain’s team lifted the World Cup trophy.

After the game, when the team returned to Spain, the celebrations continued. During the team's open-top bus parade and public celebrations, Ferran Torres’ cap gathered attention. The player wore a red hat that said “Make Spain Great Again”, which deliberately echoed Trump's “MAGA (Make America Great Again)” slogan.

The question of whether the player was experiencing a solely patriotic moment or particularly referenced the famous words of the American leader was left unanswered.

Source: EuroNews, Al Jazeera

Writen by: Sena Aslıhan

Edited by: Cemre Sanlav