England vs Argentina Live Score, FIFA World Cup 2026 Semifinal (AP Photo)Argentina beat England 2-1 with a couple of late goals to book their place in a second consecutive World Cup final. England stayed ahead for much of the match but Argentina made them pay for going a bit too defensive after Anthony Gordon put them ahead in the 55th minute. Enzo Fernandez first scored the equaliser in the 85th minute and then Lautaro Martinez, who came on as a late change for defender Nicolás Tagliafico, scored what turned out to be the winner in the second minute of added time. Argentina suddenly went from being 1-0 down to 2-1 up and that is how the scoreline remained, much to England’s agony.
Argentina will now face Spain in the final on Sunday. They are looking to become just the third team, and the first since 1962, to have succesfully defended their World Cup title. Italy were the first to do so, having won in 1934 and 1938. Pele’s Brazil then became the second, and thus far the last, team to have won two consecutive World Cups, winning the covetted title in 1958 and 1962. England, meanwhile, face France, whom Argentina had defeated in the 2022 final, in the third-place playoff on Saturday.
| Score | ENG 1-2 ARG |
| Half | — |
| Current Time | FULL TIME |
| England XI | Pickford, Stones, Guehi, James, Spence, Rice, Anderson, Bellingham, Rogers, Kane, Gordon |
| Argentina XI | Martinez, Tagliafico, Martinez, Romero, Molina, Paredes, Mac Allister, Fernandez, Alvarez, Messi, Simeone |
| Venue | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| Big moments of game | 4th min: Enzo Fernandez clatters into the back of Elliot Anderson’s head leading to an early altercation involving multiple players of both sides
37th min: Messi skips past three England players and is finally stopped when Elliot Anderson fouls him, the latter is shown the first yellow card of the match 38th min: Enzo Fernandez’s long-range effort after Messi’s free-kick nearly puts Argentina ahead 47th min: Julian Alvarez forces a save from Jordan Pickford with a shot on the near post 55th min: Anthony Gordon scores, England 1-0 ahead 57th min: Djed Spence blocks off Giuliano Simeone with an inch-perfect sliding challenge 68th min: Argentina substitute Nico Gonzalez forces a brilliant save from England keeper Pickford with a header off a cross from Messi 77th min: MacAllister forces a point-blank save from Pickford off a cross from Rodrigo De Paul 85th min: Enzo Fernandez scores the equaliser with a sensational long-range shot, England 1-1 Argentina 90+2nd min: Lautaro Martinez scores Argentina’s second goal, England 1-2 Argentina |
Earlier, the first half of the match was low on quality and high on tension and there were no goals to report at the end of it. Indeed, clear chances to score came at a premium for both sides but the fouls were flying about. As many as 12 fouls were committed by Argentina in the first half while England had seven to show. Seven of those fouls were committed by both sides in the opening 10 minutes alone. The referee held back on flashing cards but in the end, he had to show it to two players in the first half, Elliot Anderson of England and Lisandro Martinez of Argentina.
SCROLL DOWN FOR ENGLAND vs ARGENTINA HIGHLIGHTS, 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP SEMIFINAL:
Lionel Messi has rewritten a bunch of colossal records as he stormed his way through to a third World Cup final. CHECK OUT all records that Messi broke in the semi-final against England
Lionel Messi has slammed critics of him and Argentina, accusing them of being favoured by FIFA bias, after reaching the World Cup final by beating England. Messi and the Albiceleste magic combined to freeze England in the dying minutes, leaving no trace to be questioned after two sparkling moments of football put them ahead. READ MORE on what Messi had to say about the criticism
The contemplations would rage on, for days, months and decades. Those six minutes between glory and despair, those six minutes when England lost their courage and clarity, those six minutes the country could regret forever. Whether England turned too defensive after they seized the lead? Whether the historic combustibility of the mind gnawed them again? Whether they have the drive and resolve to end their drought of titles, the festering habit of slipping when the shores are within their sight? Is it an irredeemable tragic flaw passed on by generations and would be passed on to their inheritors? Sandip G writes from Atlanta
Near the centre circle, Lionel Messi knelt, prayed, and stared poignantly into the skies through the translucent roofs of the arena. Tears streaming down his eyes, tears of indescribable joy, his head drooped and he repeatedly punched the air like a judoka’s underarm knock. In twenty years of scaling greatness, he has felt the sport’s elusive nirvana, achieved saintliness and experienced every conceivable emotion, suffered heartbreaks and felt disillusioned, and won every trophy football could offer him. Sandip G reports from Atlanta - READ MORE
Lionel Messi has now scored or assisted in 13 consecutive matches for club and country. At 39 years of age, this is the second longest streak of his entire career, after a 14-game run (ending in 2011). He also completed nine dribbles and assisted two goals against England - the first player on record (from 1966) to do so in a single FIFA World Cup knockout game.
Including two today, Messi now has 12 assists in FIFA World Cup matches, 10 of which have come in knockout rounds. No other player on record (from 1966) has more than eight in total at the finals.
(All stats by Opta)
WOW!! That was a breathless second half. Stark contrast to the first. England went ahead with Gordon's goal but after that it was all Argentina who dominated the closing stretches of the match!! England were content to just play out from the counters which Argentina did not let them. Messi was immense, especially with his assist for the second goal for Lautaro. England could have lost by much more if Mac Allister hadn't hit the post twice or if Messi's lobs could have been finished by Gonzalez. But ultimately, the stronger side prevailed. England will now play the 3rd place match with France and Argentina have date with destiny as they face Spain in the final on Sunday. Brace yourself for Messi vs Yamal.
Rashford has done very well, trying to burst through the left side but his cross is cut out by an Argentinian player. And Bellingham has fouled Messi. Argentina with a late free kick and Martinez sends it up-field for an England throw. Pickford hooves it across the field now and Burn can't keep it in. Pickford gets the ball again and tries another kick into the Argentina box but it's a foul on Martinez and that's that as the referee blows for Full Time. England are shattered!!
FT: ARG 2-1 ENG
England now have no choice but to go after Argentina. Konsa with a cross and it's Argentina who have got defenders into the box to block everything. They are making 2 changes now as Rashford and Toney are in.
ARG 2-1 ENG
9 mins have been added on. Can England hold on or will they suffer another heartbreak in the semifinal stage? Argentina have all the momentum now and Mac Allister lets one fly and that's hit the post!! Messi with another cross inside the box and Martinez has probably won it with that header!!!!
ARG 2-1 ENG
Here come Argentina again and here's Fernandez again as the Chelsea man shoots from distance and Pickford with a fingertip save. But England can't stay safe from a Fernandez shot which beats Pickford and is into the net!! Oh wait!! It's been checked for offside on Messi. But no, the goal stands.
ARG 1-1 ENG
And Gonzalez has fouled Kane in the box now as Argentina bring on Lautaro. England, meanwhile, are just happy to get that foul on Kane. They were being put under relentless pressure by the Argentinians. Dan Burn and O' Reilly is now brought on for England as Rice and James go off.
ARG 0-1 ENG
ANOTHER EFFORT AND ANOTHER ONE THAT GOES WIDE!!! Messi with a delicious lob which Gonzalez gets a head to and that has flashed across the goal. Pickford was a beaten man. It's a tight offside though.
ARG 0-1 ENG
WOW!!!! ENGLAND A WHISKER AWAY FROM LOSING THEIR LEAD AS MAC ALLISTER'S HEADER IS THWARTED BY THE POST. Mac Allister got another bite of the cherry but Pickford is there to smother it.
ARG 0-1 ENG
A host of changes for both teams after the hydration break as Konsa comes in for Gordon while Molina, Simeone and Martinez are subbed off for Montiel, de Paul and Otamendi.
ARG 0-1 ENG
Tagliafico gets a corner now and Messi to take. England deal with it and it's with Messi who crosses the ball right into the head of Gonzalez!!! It's right on the money and PICKFORD WITH THE SAVE OF THE TOURNAMENT TO KEEP HIM OUT!!!
ARG 0-1 ENG
Another shot on target by England as Rice gets the ball off a lay-off by Rogers and shoots. But it's a weak shot that Martinez can deal with. Good that he did not parry as Bellingham was lurking.
ARG 0-1 ENG
Changes afoot for Argentina now as Parades is withdrawn in favour of Gonzalez. Can he make a difference? Messi with a lobbed ball into the box and Nico with a header but it's cleared by Stones.
ARG 0-1 ENG
So we are half an hour away from having both of last World Cup's finalists being sent home in the semi-finals. France, who had been in imperious form all tournament, were shut out for 90 minutes and then booted out by Spain. In that game, their Golden Boot star Kylian Mbappe had a rare quiet night.
Argentina too are facing ouster today after conceding a goal. Messi has had a stinging shot on goal so far which was saved by Pickford. But otherwise Messi being neutralised pretty well.
Argentina now pouring forward as England are being pegged back. All eyes on Messi who is being marshalled by at least two white shirts. Fernandez gets a shot in from a difficult angle that's gone over.
ARG 0-1 ENG
So much of the first 13 minutes of this game has been played on the right flank of Argentina (or England's left flank). The goal for England though came from the other side of the pitch where Rogers, from England's right flank, sent a vicious cross in that was turned into the goal by Gordon.
Simeone is now barreling forward with a bit of space and just as he was loading up his shot, Spence flies across and pulls off a huge challenge!!! Just like Cucurella did against France last night. And he celebrates like he has scored himself.
ARG 0-1 ENG
Nine minutes into the second half, and we have ANOTHER sighting of Gianni Infantino. Like clockwork! This time, there's no need for the cameraperson to show anyone else sitting next to him. Just a solo shot of a contemplative Infantino. Now that we have that out of the way, the camera folks can focus on the actual football on the pitch.
AND WOULD YOU KNOW IT!!!! IT'S A GOAL!!! England on the counter as Morgan Rogers floats the ball across the Argentine goal and Gordon has SCORED!!! It was all started by Kane whose pass wasn't read by Argentina as Aston Villa's Rogers had a lot of space to find the Barcelona man in the middle who makes no mistakes beating Martinez in goal.
ARG 0-1 ENG
Moina flashes the ball across the England box now but it's cleared away but the ball is still with Argentina. Parades gets the ball with a bit of space and tries to drill in a cross but that's gone out.
ARG 0-0 ENG
Djed Spence has been a menace in the left wing with Moolina struggling to control him. Meanwhile, Rogers is trying to find space but Argentina defends. Romero, meanwhile, goes into the book trying to hold on to Bellingham. He was almost hugging him there.
ARG 0-0 ENG
First big chance of the match as Alvarez gets the ball in the right side and takes a shot which Pickford saves!!! Alvarez gets the ball again and shoots but that's hit the side netting as the referee points for a corner. Nothing off it.
ARG 0-0 ENG
We are back for the second half and England will restart proceedings. A bit of stoppage in the proceedings as we'll have England re-take the kick off. Alvarez tries a forward run but sees a lot of white shirts ahead of him so he opts to keep possession with a backpass.
ARG 0-0 ENG
Total matches: 14
England wins: 6
Argentina wins: 3
Draws: 5
As half time approaches we have a shot of England coach Thomas Tuchel furiously scribbling notes on a pad balanced on his leg. No doubt a long halftime talk is coming.
Tuchel was in the news recently for his comments made after their quarter-final win over Norway where he said he was not happy with certain aspects of the way his team has shown. In particular, Tuchel had said that the team was “sloppy”. He had also said that they had made “a lot of technical mistakes” and were not “fast enough”. Tuchel had praised his team for the mindset.
But when Jude Bellingham, who scored both goals against Norway, was asked about Tuchel’s negative comments, the England midfielder had flared up and said that maybe the manager had never experienced playing a game at that sort of stage against a team like Norway with the calibre of Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard and Sorloth. “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions,” Bellingham had fired back.
The tension has probably been defused since then. Tuchel had revealed that he met with the England squad on Sunday night to clear the air.
“I think we come from the same place,” Tuchel said. “Our comments come from the same place, from being competitive and having the edge when competition is on.”
Tuchel had added, “Of course, I would maybe also bite back when I come from 120 minutes, scored two goals, gave literally everything that is in my body. It’s just a very normal thing, a very normal reaction for a player of his mindset. (Bellingham) was just confronted with the negative side, often with a critique of my side. I called him a world-class player, I said he had world-class actions again to decide the match. I said the mentality is outstanding of this team. All of that was not part of the question. I get it.”
Now, both Tuchel and Bellingham face a critical half. England, remember, last won a FIFA World Cup in 1966.
Can they change that this year? First, they need to get past an Argentina powered by Lionel Messi.
Wow, that was an intense half with more fouls between the two sides than attempts on goal. For context, England have given away 7 fouls as opposed to Argentina's 12. In stark contrast, England have 1 attempted shot and Argentina have 2 with both teams without a shot on target.
Just 3 mins have been added which is a surprise considering how many times the match has been stopped for fouls. England are finishing the half the stronger unit, swarming the edge of the Argentina box without any end product. The last action of this half is an attempted England cross which is off an Argentine head for a corner, which we have no time to take. Referee blows for half time.
HT: ARG 0-0 ENG
England tries to break with Rogers and he has been held back by the shirt by Lisandro Martinez. He goes in the book now. Nothing much from the free kick as the Argentinians get the ball back. Messi has the ball and Anderson dispossesses him. Bellingham, meanwhile, also gets his pocket picked in the opposite side.
ARG 0-0 ENG
Ohhhhhhh!!! Messi with the free kick which is defended. The ball comes to Enzo Fernandez who has hammered the ball as it just flies over Pickford's goal.
ARG 0-0 ENG
Nice shot by Pickford and Spence has gotten the ball and tries to give it to Gordon who has run into traffic. Bellingham has been fouled again by Molina. Absolutely unnecessary. James will take this. Will he go for goal? He does and Martinez with a save. Argentina try to beak away and there's a foul on Messi who can only be stopped one way. And Anderson is booked. He won't care. He knew exactly what he was doing
ARG 0-0 ENG
There's an increasing amount of times when both teams are trying to play long balls in over their opponents' defence but they have bore no fruit thus far. Meanwhile, Bellingham makes a run through the Argentine defence and is brought down. England have a free kick. Rice and James over it. Rice will take. AAAANDD STONES TRIES A HEADER AND THAT'S GONE PAST THE FAR POST.
ARG 0-0 ENG
Tuchel is absolutely irate near the touchlines as James goes down after a crunching challenge from Mac Allister but the referee said play on. Argentina try to build from it but England get the ball back.
ARG 0-0 ENG
Argentina now with some possession as the ball finds Alvarez in the left flank but his attempted cross is blocked away for a throw. Ohhh!!! Bellingham tries to take a loose ball from Mac Allister and fouls him. Messi stands over the free kick. He passes to Simeone whose shot is blocked for a corner. Messi floats it in and there's a foul on Pickford.
ARG 0-0 ENG
Here we go! In case you were wondering, 10 minutes into the game we had our mandatory sighting of FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The camera folks pan to him once every half in each game he makes an appearance like their job depends on it. Anyway, also in the frame is the former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger who works as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development.
Lovely ball by Kane to find Morgan Rogers who feeds the ball to an overlapping Reece James whose attempted cross is stifled by Martinez in the Argentine goal.
ARG 0-0 ENG
England are the ones trying to break out but there's another foul to halt their momentum. They play on from the free kick but can't find a way through the Argentine defence. Spence tries to come in through the right but is cut off by Fernandez.
ARG 0-0 ENG
And Argentina give the ball away and Anderson tried to go after it and he is bundled into the ground and then does not let Mac Allister get away with the ball. Another foul.
ARG 0-0 ENG
The match does not seem to have a proper flow with players getting fouled left, right and centre. There's a foul on Tagliafico now and as Argentina try to build, an England player has been fouled.
ARG 0-0 ENG
Both teams are pressing each other like there's no tomorrow which have paved way for players constantly barging into each other and drawing fouls. A bit of a stop-start match and we are just 5 mins into it.
ARG 0-0 ENG
And we already have a melee on the field as Anderson now finds himself on the ground as the smiles and handshakes before the match have evaporated. The referee will be kept busy tonight.
ARG 0-0 ENG
Argentina with their lucky navy blue kit and England in their white kit get us underway. An early foul on Parades on Bellingahm as the Argentine player just barges into the England midfielder.
ARG 0-0 ENG
Argentina have made one change with Giuliano Simeone coming in for Rodrigo De Paul while England have made 3 with Reece James, Djed Spence and Morgan Rogers replacing Ezri Konsa, Nico O'Reilly and Noni Madueke.
Our man from the ground Sandip G reports from the venue
Left: The Argentina Enclosure
— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) July 15, 2026
Right: Enzo Fernandez's family
Video courtesy: Sandip G pic.twitter.com/Fda4QOyGHC
We are almost close to kickoff as the two teams are standing around the centre circle with both countries' flags flanking them. National anthems time. England's first, followed by Argentina's.
England: Jordan Pickford, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Djed Spence, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon
Subs: Dean Henderson, James Trafford, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly, Trevoh Chalobah, Dan Burn, Jordan Henderson, Kobbie Mainoo, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Ollie Watkins, Noni Madueke, Ivan Toney
Argentina: Emiliano Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico, Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero, Nahuel Molina, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Julian Alvarez, Lionel Messi, Giuliano Simeone
Subs: Juan Musso, Geronimo Rulli, Marcos Senesi, Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolas Otamendi, Facundo Medina, Rodrigo De Paul, Valentin Barco, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Nico Gonzalez, Thiago Almada, Nico Paz, Jose Manuel Lopez, Lautaro Martinez
Under the shadows of the Falkland War, Argentina and England faced off in the 1986 World Cup, match that has gone on to gain iconic status due to Diego Maradona’s Hand of God goal as well as his goal of the century. Next came the 1998 World Cup clash where David Beckham was sent off. Fast forward to 2002 when Beckham redeemed himself somewhat. Now, in 2026, we are ready for the latest chapter in England and Argentina’s grudge match when Lionel Messi will for the first-time ever play against the Three Lions. Spain await the winners of this semifinal on Sunday. Who goes through tonight? We’ll find out soon.
Unlike France and Spain, smooth-sailing vessels, Argentina and England have creaked and squeaked their way to the last four, weathering literal and metaphorical storms, surviving scares, crossing the line through force of personalities and moments of individual wizardry and defiance, bound by a thread of positive volatility. (READ MORE)
