NEW JERSEY, July 20 — Spanish teenagers Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi joined an exclusive group of football greats after helping their country win the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina in Sunday's final. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in extra time as Spain edged Argentina after 120 minutes to claim the title at the World Cup final in New Jersey.
Yamal and Cubarsi, both aged 19, started the final and became only the fourth and fifth teenagers to feature from the opening whistle in a FIFA World Cup final and lift the trophy.
According to OptaJoe, the achievement places the Spanish duo alongside late Brazil legend Pele, who won the 1958 World Cup at the age of 17 years and 249 days, Italy's Giuseppe Bergomi, who claimed the 1982 title aged 18 years and 201 days, and France forward Kylian Mbappe, who lifted the trophy in 2018 at 19 years and 207 days.
The milestone underlines the growing influence of Spain's young generation, with Yamal and Cubarsi playing key roles throughout the tournament before capping their campaign with victory on football's biggest stage.
