Who won Argentina vs England World Cup game? Highlights, results

Argentina pulled off another stunning comeback to reach the World Cup final, scoring two goals in seven minutes to secure a 2-1 win over rival England.

Enzo Fernandez’s long-range strike equalized in the 85th minute for the defending champions with an assist from Lionel Messi. In the 92nd, Messi floated a cross to the back post that was headed home by substitute Lautaro Martinez to put Argentina in front.

"We are truly unique, and that's not arrogance," said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni. "From the bottom of my heart, these players led us to victory. I'm lost for words. A joy for our country, for our people."

Anthony Gordon had scored earlier in the second half to give England the lead, but the Three Lions couldn’t hang on. It’s a crushing loss for an England team that is still seeking its first championship since winning the 1966 World Cup.

Argentina will face Spain in the final on Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

No team has won back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

Buy World Cup final tickets!

Argentina vs England highlights

Lautaro Martinez goal! Argentina does it again

Lautaro Martinez off the bench heads home the go-ahead goal on another assist from Messi, completing Argentina's comeback in the 92nd minute.

Enzo Fernandez goal! Equalizer for Argentina

Midfielder Enzo Fernandez scored a game-tying goal in the 85th minute, a long-range shot from outside the box that curled past Jordan Pickford.

Dan Burn on for England

Thomas Tuchel is shoring up the defense for the final 10 minutes, bringing on enormous center back Dan Burn and Nico O'Reilly to replace Reece James.

More Pickford!

A minute after Argentina hit the post England goalkeeper stopped another close-range header in the 73rd minute and is single-handedly keeping the Three Lions in front.

72nd minute substitutions

Rodrigo De Paul, Nicolas Otamendi and Gonzalo Montiel entered the game coming out of the hydration break, while England brought on defender Ezri Konsa to replace goal scorer Anthony Gordon.

Jordan Pickford makes huge save

England's veteran goalkeeper Jordan Pickford sprung into action to take the game into the hydration break, getting down to keep out a point-blank header from Nico Gonzalez.

Djed Spence makes diving tackle

Argentina has been threatening since England took the lead, but one move was snuffed out by defender Djed Spence, who was fired up after making a lunging tackle.

Anthony Gordon goal! England 1, Argentina 0

Morgan Rogers played a perfect cross to Anthony Gordon in the 54th minute and he touched it home to give England the lead. Stunner in Atlanta!

Cristiano Romero yellow card

Cristian Romero was booked in the 51st minute and now both of Argentina's central defenders have a yellow, with Lisandro Martinez receiving a caution in the first half.

Shots on goal! Argentina pressuring

Argentina took back-to-back shots in the 47th minute, injecting some life into a game that didn't have any in the first half.

HALFTIME: Argentina 0, England 0

It was an incredibly testy first half in Atlanta with 19 fouls – and no shots on goal.

Lisandro Martinez yellow card

Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez was handed a yellow card in the 42nd minute for a tactical foul, pulling back the shirt of Morgan Rogers as England looked to strike on a counter.

Enzo Fernandez comes close

Argentina midfielder Enzo Martinez fired a long-range shot that narrowly missed the target.

First yellow card!

There was no discipline handed out in the first 35 minutes of the game despite the physical nature, but England's Elliot Anderson was booked for bringing down Lionel Messi.

Harry Kane not involved so far

Harry Kane has five touches in the first 30 minutes of this game, the lowest of any player on either team.

Hydration break! Scoreless in Atlanta

There have been 10 fouls but no shots on goal in the first 25 minutes of this extremely fiery affair at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

20 minutes: Argentina finding its way

The defending champions took a while to settle into the game, focusing on hard tackles, but they've had some positive possession in recent minutes and look primed to poke through the England defense.

This is going to be a long day

An incredibly chippy opening 10 minutes here with one confrontation already and six total fouls. It's going to be hard for either team to get any rhythm if this keeps up.

Atlanta atmosphere already wild

Noise in Mercedes-Benz Stadium is deafening. The crowd is into it! shouting, clapping and booing for every play, while chanting and singing in between. It started even before kickoff. This game is going to be intense on the field and in the stands.

Tensions boiling over early

There's already been a scuffle in the first five minutes with England players furious after Argentina's Enzo Martinez appeared to throw a forearm to the back of the head of Elliot Anderson. No card was issued.

Argentina vs England underway!

Unbelievable scenes in Atlanta as the Argentina fans drowned out and booed England's national anthem before this World Cup semifinal.

Argentina vice president calls England 'pirates'

Argentina vice president Vicky Villarruel took to social media to post a series of incendiary messages about her feelings towards England, even as players and coaches and the Argentine security minister are urging everyone to stick to sports.

"Tomorrow we play against the usurping pirates," Villarruel wrote, referencing the 1982 Falklands War. "This isn't just another match. I'm not going to be politically correct or cold-hearted; against the English, it's always something more."

Villarruel decided to respond to people in her replies and said that her father fought in the conflict, and went on to say that England is "always an an enemy and that this match is not "just about football."

"My dad also went to the Malvinas [Falklands], and he always taught me that whoever invades you more than once, like those pirates did, is always an enemy. "

"Let's not be so lukewarm as to believe this is just about football, because while they limit it to football, they keep hanging around in our Islands, they stick their noses in our sea, and they cross our territory without permission, they usurp our resources, and the whole world stays quiet about it. I've never hidden how I think, and I'm not going to do it now as vice president just to be politically correct.

What time is Argentina vs England game?

The matchup kicks off at 3 p.m. ET.

England lineup today

GK: Jordan Pickford

DF: Reece James

DF: Marc Guehi

DF: John Stones

DF: Djed Spence

MF: Declan Rice

MF: Elliot Anderson

MF: Jude Bellingham

MF: Morgan Rogers

FW: Harry Kane

FW: Morgan Rogers

Argentina lineup today

GK: Emi Martinez

DF: Nicolas Tagliafico

DF: Lisandro Martinez

DF: Cristian Romero

DF: Nahuel Molina

MF: Leandro Paredes

MF: Alexis Mac Allister

MF: Enzo Fernandez

FW: Julian Alvarez

FW: Lionel Messi

FW: Giuliano Simeone

Where is Argentina vs England game?

The semifinal match is being held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

England vs Argentina prediction, expert picks

Seth Vertelney: England 2-1 Argentina

At some point, Argentina won't be able to escape every close call. That could come against a battle-tested England side that is a level above any team Messi and Co. have faced at this tournament so far.

Jon Arnold: England 1-2 Argentina (AET)

They can't keep getting away with this? Oh yes they can. Leandro Paredes joins Lionel Messi in turning back the clock with a shut-down showing against Jude Bellingham and, even with England getting one, Argentina continues its magical run.

Jesse Yomtov: England 2 - 1 Argentina

England wil overcome some iffy refereeing decision to knock out Argentina in the Three Lions' first ever meeting with Lionel Messi.

Victoria Hernandez: England 2 - 1 Argentina

Argentina can not win this World Cup playing with their back against the ropes like they have been. England, powered by Jude Bellingham, gets one step closer to bringing it home.

England vs Argentina odds

World Cup Golden Boot race

Entering Wednesday's semifinal. Players in bold still alive in World Cup.

8 - Lionel Messi, Argentina

8 - Kylian Mbappe, France

6 - Harry Kane, England

6 – Jude Bellingham, England

5 – Ousmane Dembele, France

5 – Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain

4 – Ismaila Sarr, Senegal

4 – Julián Quiñones, Mexico

4 – Vinicius Jr., Brazil

Who does Argentina-England winner face?

The winner of the Argentina vs. England semifinal advances to face Spain in the World Cup's championship game.

Lionel Messi stats, World Cup goals

Lionel Messi enters the semifinal against England with eight goals at this tournament – tied for the lead – and 21 World Cup goals in his career, setting a new record this summer.

How old is Lionel Messi?

Argentina’s Lionel Messi is 39 years old, celebrating his birthday during this World Cup.

FIFA World Cup bracket

Round of 16

July 4: France def Paraguay - Philadelphia

July 4: Morocco def Canada - Houston

July 5: Norway def Brazil - East Rutherford

July 5: England def Mexico - Mexico City

July 6: Spain def Portugal - Arlington

July 6: Belgium def USA - Seattle

July 7: Argentina def Egypt - Atlanta

July 7: Switzerland def Colombia - Vancouver

Quarterfinals

July 9: France def Morocco - Foxborough

July 10: Spain def Belgium - Inglewood

July 11: England def England - Miami

July 11: Argentina def Switzerland - Kansas City

Semifinals

July 14: Spain def France - Arlington

July 15: England vs. Argentina - Atlanta

Final

July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey

Refs for Argentina vs England today

Referee: Ismail Elfath

Assistant Referees: Corey Parker, Kyle Atkins

4th official: Maurizio Mariani

Reserve assistant referee: Daniele Bindoni

VAR: Marco Di Bello

Assistant VAR: Juan Lara

Support VAR: Tatiana Guzman

Has England won a World Cup?

England won its only World Cup in 1966 on home soil.

What team is Messi on?

Lionel Messi plays for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. He joined the team in 2023.

Argentina, England fans arrive at Atlanta stadium

What team is Jude Bellingham on?

England’s Jude Bellingham plays for Real Madrid in Spain.

Argentina vs England game time CST

England and Argentina kick off at 2 p.m. Central Time.

When was England's last World Cup win?

England won its only World Cup in 1966.

When is the World Cup final?

The 2026 World Cup final is set for Sunday, July 19.

Harry Kane club team

England’s Harry Kane plays his club soccer for Bayern Munich in Germany.

Jude Bellingham stats

England's Jude Bellingham has scored six goals in six matches at this World Cup, including two against Mexico in the round of 16 and two against Norway in the quarterfinals.

Jordan Pickford team

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford plays for Everton in the Premier League.

How many World Cups does Argentina have?

Argentina has three world championships: 1978, 1986 and 2018.

World Cup winners by year

2022: Argentina 🇦🇷

2018: France 🇫🇷

2014: Germany 🇩🇪

2010: Spain 🇪🇸

2006: Italy 🇮🇹

2002: Brazil 🇧🇷

1998: France 🇫🇷

1994: Brazil 🇧🇷

1990: West Germany

1986: Argentina 🇦🇷

1982: Italy 🇮🇹

1978: Argentina 🇦🇷

1974: West Germany

1970: Brazil 🇧🇷

1966: England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

1962: Brazil 🇧🇷

1958: Brazil 🇧🇷

1954: West Germany

1950: Uruguay 🇺🇾

1938: Italy

1934: Italy

1930: Uruguay 🇺🇾

What teams are left in the World Cup?

Entering Wednesday's semifinal, only three teams remain at the 2026 World Cup: Spain, Argentina and England.

Julian Alvarez transfer rumors

Argentina's Julian Alvarez, who scored the winner in the quarterfinals against Switzerland, currently plays for Atletico Madrid in Spain but is expected to move this summer.

“I try to be an honest person, and I spoke with the people in the club who I had to speak with and I think the best thing for everyone is a transfer, and I want achieve my dream," Alvarez told reporters earlier in the World Cup.

Declan Rice team

England midfielder Declan Rice plays for Arsenal, the reigning Premier League champions.

What time is Argentina vs England PST?

The Argentina vs. England World Cup semifinal kicks off at 12 p.m. Pacific Time.

Tickets for Argentina vs England

Where is the World Cup final?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and Jets, on Sunday, July 19.

Enzo Fernandez team

Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez plays for Chelsea in England's Premier League.

Jude Bellingham age

England's Jude Bellingham turned 23 years old on June 29.

Click here to read article