Argentina beats England to face Spain in World Cup final

Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the 2026 World Cup semifinal in Atlanta, United States, and advanced to the final for the second consecutive time. Lionel Messi provided two assists, while Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez scored the winning goals.

Scraper SystemJuly 16, 2026, 11:11 AM

Argentina beats England to face Spain in World Cup final

Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal to advance to the final. In the match at Atlanta Stadium in the US state of Georgia, officiated by American referee Ismail Elfath, Argentina fell behind before scoring late goals to secure the victory.

Both teams played cautiously in the first half, and fans whistled during the national anthems. The first real chance came for England in the 32nd minute, when John Stones headed just wide of the post. Argentina responded in the 39th minute with a shot from outside the box by Enzo Fernández, but the ball went over the crossbar, and the first half ended goalless.

England takes the lead, Argentina fights back

Argentina increased the pressure in the second half and almost scored in the 47th minute when Julián Álvarez's shot was saved by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. However, England took the lead in the 55th minute: Morgan Rogers crossed from the right, and Anthony Gordon volleyed it into the net.

Argentina pushed for an equalizer and was unlucky in the 69th minute when Nicolás González headed Lionel Messi's cross wide, and in the 76th minute when Alexis Mac Allister's header hit the post. The equalizer came in the 85th minute. Messi found Enzo Fernández outside the box, and Fernández fired a right-footed shot past the goalkeeper to make it 1-1.

Argentina found the winner in stoppage time (90+2). A cross from the right was headed by Mac Allister, the ball hit the post, Messi played it back into the area, and Lautaro Martínez headed it home to make it 2-1.

Messi sets a historic record

With two assists in this match, Lionel Messi has now been involved in 12 goals (8 goals and 4 assists) at the 2026 World Cup. This performance makes him the first player since Gerd Müller of West Germany in 1970 (who had 10 goals and 3 assists) to record the most goal involvements in a single World Cup.

Argentina will face Spain in the final, who eliminated France with a 2-0 scoreline. The final will be played on Sunday at the New York/New Jersey Stadium. The tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, features 48 teams and runs from June 11 to July 19.

Argentina beats England to face Spain in World Cup final