Holders Argentina will face Spain in the final after snatching victory from England in a heated encounter.
Published July 15, 2026
Lautaro Martinez scored the winning goal in the 92nd minute and Lionel Messi inspired World Cup winners Argentina to pull off a stunning comeback to beat England 2-1 and book a place in the final against European soccer champions Spain.
England were on track to reach their first FIFA World Cup final since 1966 after Anthony Gordon took the lead 10 minutes into the semi-final in front of 68,239 fans in Atlanta on Wednesday.
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The great rivalry between these countries has produced some memorable battles on the World Cup stage over the years. And this will be remembered as the stuff of Argentina legends, as the South American team denied England with two terrible punches in the second half.
Messi set up the equalizer in the 85th minute with a goal from Enzo Fernandes, and with extra time looming, he scored the winning goal with a header two minutes into stoppage time from a cross with substitute Lautaro Martinez.
It may not have matched Diego Maradona’s legendary performance that put England to the sword in 1986, but the goal lifted Argentina back from the brink and kept their hopes of winning a second World Cup alive.
No team has retained this trophy since Brazil in 1962, and Messi becomes only the second player to appear in three World Cup finals after Brazil’s great Cafu. Italy is the only team to defend its World Cup crown.
The 2026 final will be held at New York-New Jersey Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, and the first 48-team World Cup will end up being a showdown between the reigning champions of Europe and South America.
Messi waited until he was 39 years old to get the chance to play against England, but this will be his first competitive match against Spain.
His career seemed complete when he led Argentina to glory at the 2022 Qatar tournament, but it’s clearly not over yet.
But England head to Miami to face France in Saturday’s third-place play-off, a game that neither side will want to play, much to their chagrin.
Their chances of reaching their first World Cup final since their only victory 60 years ago were serious, and although they were very close, they will forever regret sitting back after Gordon’s opener.
Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane have been key figures for Thomas Tuchel’s side this season, but they failed to deliver this time and England’s players were left on the grass at full time.
Lautaro winner
Given the deep-rooted rivalry between these countries, this match was always likely to be a favorable one, and there was a palpable sense of tension in the Atlanta stadium.
Argentina’s players were clearly fired up, not only determined to defend their World Cup crown, but also aware of what this match meant.
It was a tough match with a lot of fouls in the first half, including Elliott Anderson being booked for slashing Messi.
There were no real chances in the first half, but England scored a goal in the 55th minute.
Kane took part in the build-up and the ball eventually found its way to Morgan Rodgers on the right, who lofted a low cross towards the back post for Gordon to finish in front of Nahuel Molina.
However, this was the stadium where Argentina made a stunning comeback from a 2-0 deficit to beat Egypt in the last 16, and it wasn’t the end for them.
Jordan Pickford made a good save to deny Nico Gonzalez’s header, but in the 76th minute Alexis Mac Allister was denied by the post and the team went all out to score.
Fernandes had his shot denied on target by Pickford, but moments later he controlled Messi’s pass on the edge of the area and slotted it past the goalkeeper to equalize.
Argentina smelled blood and Mac Allister hit the post again before England failed to clear, and Martinez headed home the winning goal from Messi’s exquisite cross, causing chaotic scenes of celebration and leaving England completely deflated.
