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Hosts Argentina will face Spain in the final after claiming victory from England in a tough match.
Published on 15 Jul 2026
Lautaro Martinez scored the winner in the 92nd minute as Lionel Messi inspired World Cup holders Argentina to make a stunning comeback. they beat England 2-1 and final production with European football champions Spain.
England came close to reaching their first FIFA World Cup final since 1966 when Anthony Gordon put them ahead 10 minutes into the second half of the semifinal in front of 68,239 fans in Atlanta on Wednesday.
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The fierce rivalry between the two nations has produced some of the most memorable World Cup matches over the years, and this one will be remembered as legend in Argentina as the South Americans denied England two late penalties.
Messi set up Enzo Fernandez to shoot in the 85th minute, then, with added time, crossed for substitute Lautaro Martinez to head the winner in the second minute of stoppage time.
It may not have been as good as Diego Maradona’s legendary display to put England to the sword in 1986, but the goals this time brought Argentina to the dead and kept their hopes of back-to-back World Cups alive.
No team has retained the trophy since Brazil in 1962, and now, Messi is only the second player after Brazilian great Cafu to appear in three World Cup finals. Italy is the only side to have defended the World Cup crown.
The 2026 final will take place at the New York New Jersey Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, as the first 48-team World Cup competition kicks off in a clash between the reigning European and South American giants.
Messi waited until he was 39 years old to get the chance to play for England, and now he will face Spain for the first time in a competitive game.
His career appeared to be over when he led Argentina to glory in 2022 in Qatar, but he is not done yet.
England, however, will have a big heartbreak when they travel to Miami to play France on Saturday, a game that neither team will want to compete against.
The prospect of a final appearance at the World Cup since they won 60 years ago was vital, and they were very close, but they will regret it after Gordon’s opener.
The key men for Thomas Tuchel’s team during the campaign were Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane, but they failed to make an impact on the occasion, and England’s players fell flat every time.
Good luck
Given the deep rivalry between these countries, this was always going to be a close game, and there was tension on the Atlanta field.
Argentina’s players were furious, partly because they wanted to retain their World Cup crown and because of what it meant.
This translated into an ugly contest, which was marked by fouls in the first half, including Elliot Anderson being booked for taunting Messi.
There was no real chance to speak of in the first half, but England struck on 55 minutes.
Kane was involved in the build-up when the ball came to Morgan Rogers on the right, and he whipped in a low cross that Gordon stole in front of Nahuel Molina to score.
But this was the stadium where Argentina made a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to beat Egypt in the last 16, and they didn’t finish.
They threw everything at their opponents, with Jordan Pickford making a great save from Nico Gonzalez’s header, and Alexis Mac Allister was denied by the post in the 76th minute.
Fernandez was denied by Pickford, but a few minutes later, he equalized, directing Messi’s pass on the edge of the area and flying past the striker.
Argentina were bloodied, and Mac Allister again hit the post as England failed to clear, and Martinez headed in the winner from Messi’s beautiful cross to spark the celebrations and leave England completely exhausted.
