Spain is a two-time World Cup champion after outlasting Argentina 1-0 in extra time, with substitute Ferran Torres burying the winner in the 106th minute off a Nico Williams assist. Argentina's Emiliano Martinez set a World Cup final record with 11 saves and still walked away with nothing, while Lionel Messi's last real shot at another title ended in extra-time heartbreak. It's Spain's second star, to go with the one they earned back in 2010.
Whatever you think of the soccer itself, the celebration afterward wasn't up for debate. Barcelona's streets filled up fast, with fans climbing on top of cars and hanging off whatever they could find while giant Spanish flags waved over the crowd.
The streets of Barcelona turned into an all-night party the second the final whistle blew.
Back stateside, Barstool's soccer contingent wasn't nearly as thrilled. Brandon Walker didn't hold back on the actual product, calling the final "not fun" and "not good" in a review that basically validated every soccer hater's talking points in real time.
BFW's blunt verdict on the World Cup Final: not fun, not good.
He wasn't done, either. On Mostly Sports, Walker turned the venom specifically on Argentina, ripping the runners-up as "bullies," "assholes" and "floppers" in a rant that had nothing to do with the scoreline and everything to do with how the game got played. Over on Yak, Steven Cheah went a different route entirely, saying he'd rather watch an NFL preseason Hall of Fame game than sit through the final — which, for a guy on a football-first show, is about as damning as it gets.
Steven Cheah's take on the final: he'd rather watch NFL preseason.
The gambling cave, at least, got some good moments out of the tournament even if the Americans didn't make it all the way. Barstool Gambling's countdown of the top reactions ran through the whole run — the national anthem, the USA's first goal, Josh Tillman's equalizer, Harry Kane skying a chance, and Spain eventually taking down France on the way to the final.
The Barstool gambling cave's top 5 reactions from the whole World Cup run.
The pageantry around the final didn't get the same pushback. Justin Bieber's halftime performance, a rendition of "Hallelujah" as part of a stacked lineup that also included Madonna, Shakira, Burna Boy and BTS, actually landed well with some corners of the internet. Add in Pardon My Take marking the moment with the sport's championship trophy sitting at midfield, and it's clear the spectacle around the final drew a very different reaction than the 90-plus minutes of actual soccer.
Justin Bieber's halftime rendition of 'Hallelujah' got praised even by the skeptics.
So Spain gets its parade, Messi and Argentina are left to wonder what might've been, and Barstool's soccer-averse crew gets four more years of ammunition before the next World Cup rolls around. Everybody walks away happy in their own way — which, honestly, might be the most on-brand outcome this whole tournament could've produced.