Argentina rallies past England, sets up World Cup final with Spain

Argentina kept its title defense alive with a late surge, beating England 2-1 in the World Cup semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Enzo Fernández equalized in the 85th minute, Lautaro Martínez scored the winner in the second minute of stoppage time, and Lionel Messi supplied both assists to send the defending champions into Sunday’s final against Spain at MetLife Stadium.

England had led through Anthony Gordon’s second-half goal and looked set to hold on after Jordan Pickford made several important saves to protect the advantage. But Argentina kept pushing deep into the closing minutes, and the match flipped when Messi delivered the pass that Fernández turned into the equalizer, then found Martínez again for the decisive finish.

The semifinal was the sixth World Cup meeting between Argentina and England, following previous clashes in 1962, 1966, 1986, 1998 and 2002. Argentina won the famous 1986 quarterfinal 2-1 in Mexico, and it also advanced from the 1998 round of 16 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in France. England’s wins over Argentina in World Cup play came in 1962, 1966 and 2002.

Brazil was the last team to win consecutive World Cups, in 1958 and 1962. Argentina captured the 2022 title and has again reached the final with Messi central to the decisive moments.

Spain earned the other place in the final with a 2-0 victory over France at Dallas Stadium, getting goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro. The final is Sunday, July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.