Back from the dead, Argentina scored twice after the 85th minute to book their place in the World Cup final after defeating England 2-1. It's a second consecutive appearance in the final for Argentina as they look to become the first team to win back-to-back World Cup titles since Brazil, who won in 1958 and 62. Argentina will meet Spain at MetLife Stadium on Sunday during what will be the first meeting of the reigning European and South American champions in the World Cup final. Needing late magic every step of the way during this World Cup journey, this has been quite a run for Argentina, and it could be a chance to send 39-year-old Lionel Messi off on a high note in what could be his final World Cup appearance.
Messi may not have scored, but his two assists were critical to turning around the game after Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the second-half for England. Once England went ahead in the match, it was all Argentina from there, as from the 54th minute on, Argentina took 10 of their 15 shots during the match to turn everything on its head. By that point, Thomas Tuchel had already been subbing on defenders at that stage to try and keep the clash contained, and it didn't end up working in the end, as one can only hope to contain Argentina, not stop them by sitting back.
"We played a good game for the large majority of it. Once we went 1-nil up, we seemed to just try and hold on, which at this level is not enough," Harry Kane said after the match in his pitchside interview. Looking at the chart below, he's right.
It's almost a carbon copy of Argentina's comeback against Egypt in the round of 16, where at the 82nd minute, Argentina were trailing 2-0 but ended up scoring three unanswered goals to finish the match in regulation. They'll now face the best defense in the tournament as Spain have only allowed one goal so far during this tournament, but it's clear that Argentina can't be counted out of any game that they're in, which will make for an epic final.
There's also the Barcelona of it all. Lionel Messi bathed a baby Lamine Yamal for a shoot in a charity calendar for Barcelona in 2007; now they'll be on opposite sides of this match as Yamal will be on the wing for Spain. Coming into the World Cup, Argentina and Spain were one and two in FIFA's rankings, so it's only fitting that they'll end it to determine who the top team is while France and England will meet in the third-place game in Miami on Saturday.
It's Lautaro Martinez now. Messi assists this one too as Martinez scores a headed shot from the center of the box following Argentina hitting the post. England has absolutely faded down the stretch.
This could be a concussion for the England defender as the game is currently stopped, which Argentine players aren't happy about.
Argentina's equalizer has been coming, and after his first shot from outside the box was saved by Jordan Pickford, this one makes it through, and we could be headed to extra time. We're in the 85th minute with stoppage time still to come, as Messi was just onside in the buildup.
Lautaro Martinez comes on while Argentina searches for a winner, while Dan Burn and Nico O'Reilly are set to enter for England to stave off pressure.
After making a save on Alexis Mac Allister, Pickford is now making sure to milk the clock where he can to give his teammates some breathing room.
After making a massive save on Nicolas Gonzalez, Jordan Pickford makes the sign that it's time for a Hydration Break. England will now have three minutes to gameplan for how to get back in control.
It has been all Argentina since England scored their goal. While Argentina aren't a side that will lie down at this stage, England also needs to regain control of the match.
It looked like Argentina were clear through on goal, but Spence tracked back about 30 yards to make an inch-perfect tackle. Any later and it's a penalty, what a play for the Tottenham man.
Argentina's struggles with wingers continue as Anthony Gordon scores for England. There hasn't been much going on so far, but right from a goal kick, Harry Kane's deep ball found Morgan Rodgers, and we're off and running.
Julian Alvarez quickly had two chances on goal right out of the half and won a corner kick for the first chance of the second half. This still doesn't amount to an Argentina goal, but it's the first coordinated attacking move that we've seen during this game.
Will anyone play soccer in this half? Changes could come soon, but Argentina will be happy with this so far.
Considering that there have been two yellow cards and plenty of fouls, it feels like the referee just wants to get the teams to the locker room in one piece here.
It's the first free kick for England, and it is also their first shot of the game with a headed shot going just wide. That's the first shot, 33 minutes into the game, which shows just how tough it has been for anyone to get things going in this match.
We're 26 minutes in and there are no shots in the match so far. It has still been a foul fest but things have calmed down slightly following a quick start. Neither team can get into the flow that they would like early on.
For reference of how cagey this match has been, there are seven fouls in only 10 minutes. I'd be shocked if this ends with 22 men on the pitch, as we can't be far from our first card.
They don't want to let Argentina get comfortable in their shape, and it's already about to be a physical match as there's the first coming together between the two teams.
England's anthem was drowned out by Argentine fans singing as it's a serious atmosphere in Atlanta today.
We're about to get underway in Atlanta as the World Cup final is almost set.
This one is basically a coin flip on paper, but Argentina have found a way to survive every gut check this tournament has thrown at them, and Messi has a habit of showing up when it matters most. This will be, without doubt, the strongest team each will have faced up to this moment, and in the end, the experience counts. Pick: Argentina 2, England 1 (AET)
It's a big call for Lionel Scaloni, but a needed one as Argentina hasn't had enough bite defensively. This should provide more balance in trying to contain England.
Argentina XI: Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico; Leandro Paredes, Giuliano Simeone Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister; Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez.
Vibe check from Atlanta, where the crowd already seems to be skewing towards Argentina heavily. The building isn't half full yet but the Argentina fans were already in full voice jeering England's players as they walked around the ptich 90 minutes before kickoff. There's certainly no love lost between these two teams, that's for sure.
vibe check in Atlanta: kickoff isn’t roughly for another 90 minutes and the stands are far from full but the Argentina fans are in full force jeering the England players as they walk out onto the pitch no love lost between these two teams!l
— Pardeep Cattry (@pcattry.bsky.social) July 15, 2026 at 1:34 PM
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Messi has been the story of this tournament for Argentina, scoring eight goals to sit tied for the tournament lead and pushing his career World Cup total to 21, extending his own all-time record. It is his second straight World Cup with 10-plus goal contributions, joining Kylian Mbappe as the only players to manage that feat in the last 60 years. On the other side, Kane and Bellingham have each scored six goals, marking the first time in World Cup history that two players from the same country have hit six or more goals in the same tournament.
England topped Group L, beating Croatia 4-2 and Panama 2-0 while drawing 0-0 with Ghana. Congo DR gave them all they could handle in the round of 32, with Harry Kane scoring twice, including a late winner, to send England through 2-1. The round of 16 against co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca was an instant classic filled with emotion and chaos. Jude Bellingham had England up 2-0 before Mexico's Julian Quinones pulled one back, Jarell Quansah was sent off, and Kane converted a penalty to make it 3-1, and England held on, ultimately winning 3-2. Then, Bellingham was the hero again in the quarterfinal against Norway, scoring both goals in a 2-1 extra-time win, coming from behind after Norway's first-half goal.
Argentina cruised through Group J, beating Algeria 3-0, Austria 2-0 and Jordan 3-1 to finish top. Things have been far bumpier in the knockouts as the team has struggled to impose their will despite all of the talent, suggesting that a shift may be needed to keep the dream alive. Cabo Verde came from behind twice in the round of 32 before Argentina finally saw them off 3-2 in extra time. The round of 16 against Egypt produced an even bigger scare, as Argentina found themselves down 2-0 with 10 minutes to go before Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi struck in a four-minute span to level it, and Enzo Fernandez won it in the 93rd minute for a 3-2 comeback. Switzerland pushed Argentina to extra time again in the quarterfinal, with Julian Alvarez's stunner proving to be the difference in a 3-1 win that sees them back into the semis.
Argentina and England meet at the World Cup for the sixth time, and this is their first meeting of any kind in 21 years. Their history includes some of the most iconic moments, from Diego Maradona's Hand of God goal in 1986 to David Beckham's red card in 1998. The last time these teams played at all was a 2005 friendly, where England won 3-2 behind two goals from Michael Owen. There is no love lost between these nations and Wednesday's meeting adds another chapter to one of the sport's bitterest rivalries.
Date: Wednesday, July 15 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedez-Benz Stadium -- Atlanta, Georgia
TV: Fox (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Odds: England +170; Draw +180; Argentina +200
Morgan Rogers enters the XI for England, while Reece James also returns in a big boost. England's defense will need to be on high alert to prevent this form becoming the Lionel Messi show, but paying too much attention to him will give Julian Alvarez space to make things happen as well.
