Thursday July 16, 2026
Lautaro Martinez struck in the 92nd minute as Lionel Messi drove defending champions Argentina to a remarkable 2-1 comeback victory over England, booking a World Cup final showdown with European champions Spain.
England looked set for their first FIFA World Cup final since 1966 when Anthony Gordon put them ahead 10 minutes into the second half of Wednesday’s semifinal, watched by 68,239 supporters in Atlanta.
The long-standing rivalry between the two nations has delivered no shortage of unforgettable World Cup encounters, and Argentina’s dramatic late turnaround will take its place among them after England were hit by two crushing goals near the end.
Messi created Enzo Fernandez’s 85th-minute equaliser before delivering the cross from which substitute Lautaro Martinez headed home in the second minute of stoppage time, just as extra time appeared inevitable.
It may not have matched Diego Maradona’s iconic performance against England in 1986, but Argentina’s rescue act revived them when defeat seemed certain and preserved their bid to win consecutive World Cups.
No nation has successfully retained the trophy since Brazil in 1962. Messi is now set to become only the second player, after Brazil great Cafu, to feature in three World Cup finals, while Italy remain the only other team to have defended the title.
The 2026 final will be played on Sunday at New York New Jersey Stadium in New Jersey, where the inaugural 48-team World Cup will culminate in a meeting of the reigning champions of South America and Europe.
Messi had to wait until he was 39 for the opportunity to face England, and he will now take on Spain in a competitive match for the first time.
When he led Argentina to the title in Qatar in 2022, Messi’s career seemed complete. Yet the veteran forward has shown he still has more to achieve.
For England, the loss will bring deep disappointment as they travel to Miami for Saturday’s third-place playoff against France — a fixture neither side will relish.
A first World Cup final since their lone triumph 60 years ago was within reach, but England will rue their decision to retreat after Gordon’s goal.
Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane have been Thomas Tuchel’s standout figures during the campaign, but neither could make the difference here as England’s players collapsed to the ground at the final whistle.
Martinez delivers late blow
With so much history between the countries, the semifinal was always expected to carry an edge, and tension was unmistakable inside Atlanta Stadium.
Argentina approached the contest with obvious intensity, fuelled both by their determination to protect the World Cup crown and by the significance of facing England.
The result was a scrappy first half littered with fouls, including Elliot Anderson’s booking for bringing down Messi with a sweeping challenge.
Clear opportunities were scarce before the interval, but England broke through in the 55th minute.
Kane played a role in the move before the ball reached Morgan Rogers on the right. He sent a low cross towards the far post, where Gordon got ahead of Nahuel Molina to finish.
However, this was the same stadium in which Argentina had overturned a 2-0 deficit to beat Egypt in the last 16, and they refused to surrender.
They pressed forward relentlessly. Jordan Pickford produced an excellent save to keep out a Nico Gonzalez header, before Alexis Mac Allister struck the post in the 76th minute.
Pickford also stopped Fernandez’s effort from distance, but the midfielder soon found the net, bringing down Messi’s pass on the edge of the box and firing beyond the goalkeeper.
Argentina sensed the momentum had shifted. Mac Allister struck the post again, and after England failed to clear their lines, Martinez headed in Messi’s superb cross to trigger wild celebrations and leave England utterly deflated.
