Defending champion Argentina
reaches World Cup final by beating England 2-1
[July 16, 2026]
By JAMES ROBSON
ATLANTA (AP) — No “Hand of God” this time. Argentina didn’t need it.
Instead it was the hallowed feet of Lionel Messi and the unbreakable
spirit of a team that has repeatedly fought back at this year's
World Cup that is now one step away from back-to-back titles.
Trailing 1-0 going into the 85th minute, Argentina rallied for a 2-1
victory over England on Wednesday with goals from Enzo Fernandez and
substitute Lautaro Martinez.
“I dreamed it, I swear. I told Alexis (Mac Allister) that I was
going to score. I told him that I was going to come on and I was
going to win it," Martinez said. "I can tell you this team keeps
showing what it’s made of.”
At the final whistle, Messi fell to his knees in celebration while
England players collapsed in disbelief — again.
Add 2026 to 1986 and 1998 on the list of games when Argentina has
extinguished English hopes at the World Cup.
“I’m gutted for the team, the staff, the fans," England captain
Harry Kane said. “We worked so hard to be here. The lads have given
every bit of blood, sweat and tears. To fall short like we did is
just gutting.”
The defending champions will take on European champion Spain in the
final on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The best that South
America has to offer against the best of Europe.
The loss for England will hurt a new generation of fans in a similar
way to Diego Maradona’s infamous handball goal in the 1986 World Cup
quarterfinals and the penalty shootout loss in 1998 when David
Beckham was sent off for kicking Diego Simeone.
The difference is there can be no sense of injustice this time, even
if England had victory in its sights after Anthony Gordon scored the
opening goal in the 55th minute.
The English were hanging on as the game wore on. England goalkeeper
Jordon Pickford made vital saves while Mac Allister sent a header
off the post as wave after wave of Argentina attacks came.
Messi had largely been kept quiet. But when he’s on the field,
anything seems possible.
He fed the ball to Fernandez to sweep in the equalizer from outside
the box in the 85th minute. And two minutes into stoppage time,
Messi sent in a cross for Martinez to head in the winner.
It almost felt inevitable. Especially given the amount of times
Argentina has simply refused to give in at this year's World Cup.
From Cape Verde to Egypt, Messi and Co. always seem to find a way.
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England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (1), Marc Guehi (6), Elliot
Anderson (8), and John Stones (5) react after Argentina's Lautaro
Martinez scored their second goal during the World Cup semifinal
soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday,
July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
“It is a show of the collectiveness, the
brotherhood that we are in, the fight to the very end that we’ve
got,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “We were ready to go
home, sad, knowing that we had left everything on the pitch, but
after they scored we really proved ourselves.”
England, in contrast, came up short in the World Cup semifinals for
the third time after losses to Germany in 1990 and Croatia in 2018.
And it's another occasion in recent years when England’s players
have squandered a winning position in the later stages of a major
tournament.
They led 1-0 against Croatia in the semifinals eight years ago and
lost 2-1. They were up 1-0 against Italy in the European
Championship final in 2021 and lost on penalties.
On Wednesday, England coach Thomas Tuchel's substitutions seemed to
be more intent on holding on, rather than killing the game off with
another goal.
“Argentina played with more risk, played with more rhythm, played
with the feeling maybe that they have nothing to lose anymore, which
freed them up and held us back because we played suddenly with a
feeling that we have a lot to lose,” Tuchel said.
Argentina is now one step away from history. Messi, now 39 and
likely playing at his last World Cup, is one win away from further
strengthening his case to be considered the greatest soccer player
of all time.
“We’re going to try to win, we’re going to leave everything out
there,” Scaloni said. “It’s very difficult to get people to
understand what these players are showing. It’s incredible. We are
unique, truly, and it’s not arrogance, it’s from the heart. We are
unique."
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