By OkayGoal 
The World Cup final is the biggest stage in football, a platform where the entire world is watching.
Enzo Fernandez etched his name into World Cup final folklore for all the wrong reasons on Sunday evening, after receiving a red card in the 2026 decider.
Having been carelessly booked for dissent, the Chelsea midfielder saw red in stoppage time for a needless challenge on Pau Cubarsi, with the game goalless against Spain.
ENZO FERNANDEZ IS SENT OFF 🟥
Argentina will play the rest of the World Cup final with 10 men after Fernandez got his second yellow for a very late tackle. pic.twitter.com/OZFDiTc2oV
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 19, 2026
Fernandez has become only the sixth player to be sent off in a World Cup final, with half of those Argentinean. Pedro Monzon and Gustabo Dezotti both saw red for Argentina during their 1990 final defeat to West Germany, in an ill-tempered clash in Rome.
The most famous red card in World Cup final history was handed to Zinedine Zidane in 2006. Having opened the scoring from the penalty spot against Italy, Zidane was later sent off for an infamous head-butt on Marco Materazzi. The red mist proved costly, as France lost to the Azzurri on penalties.
The players to receive a red card in the World Cup final
- Pedro Monzon, Argentina – 1990
- Gustavo Dezotti, Argentina – 1990
- Marcel Desailly, France – 1998
- Zinedine Zidane, France – 2006
- John Heitinga, The Netherlands – 2010
- Enzo Fernandez, Argentina – 2026
Read – FIFA World Cup Winners – Every champion in World Cup history
See more – Five Weird and Wonderful World Cup Final Stories