Argentina Stuns England With Late Comeback to Reach World Cup 2026 Final Against Spain

Lionel Messi got his stamp on English history at last. Argentina scored twice in the final five minutes to stun England 2-1 in the World Cup semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday, denying Thomas Tuchel’s side a place in the final and setting up a title-defense showdown with Spain on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

It marked the first time Messi, 39, has ever faced England on a soccer pitch, and the reigning champion made it count in agonizing fashion for the Three Lions. The defending champions have now won three straight knockout matches via extra time or late drama, continuing a pattern that has defined their bid to become the first repeat World Cup winner since Brazil in 1962. England, meanwhile, saw a resilient tournament run end in the cruelest way, undone in the closing minutes after holding firm for most of the night.

A Late Collapse Ends England’s Run

England looked set to advance for long stretches of a tense, foul-riddled semifinal that lived up to the hype of a rivalry stretching back to 1986 and Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God.” Thomas Tuchel’s men had taken the lead and appeared organized defensively against an Argentina side that had needed extra time in each of its last three knockout matches to survive. But La Albiceleste, playing without fear under Lionel Scaloni, refused to fold. Argentina turned the match in the final five minutes, scoring twice to complete a stunning come-from-behind win and advance to a fourth final under Scaloni’s watch since he took charge in 2018.

Messi was again at the heart of it. The Inter Miami star entered the match as the tournament’s joint-top scorer with eight goals and has racked up 10 career World Cup assists, a mark matched only by Kylian Mbappé. Wednesday’s semifinal was Messi’s third in four World Cups, and he delivered again on the sport’s biggest stage — pulling the strings as Argentina erased England’s lead in stunning fashion.

Tuchel’s Gamble and a Bruising Farewell

Tuchel had entered the match after calling Argentina “beatable” in his pre-match press conference, even floating the idea of assigning a specific marker to shadow Messi throughout the ninety minutes. “I thought about man-to-man marking,” Tuchel said before kickoff. “I don’t know if we’ll do it, but it crossed my mind. Everyone knows the spaces where he wants to appear. If you close one pattern, he finds another.” The German manager also shuffled his lineup significantly, benching Bukayo Saka amid a nagging Achilles issue and starting Morgan Rogers instead, while inserting Reece James and Djed Spence into the back line.

The changes could not prevent Argentina’s late surge. Jude Bellingham, who had carried England to the semifinal with a two-goal outburst against Norway in the quarterfinals, could not conjure a similar rescue act this time. Bellingham and Harry Kane had combined for 12 of England’s 13 goals before Wednesday’s match, but Argentina’s backline — anchored by Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez in front of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez — held firm long enough for the attack to strike when it mattered most.

What Happens Next

Argentina now turns its attention to Spain, who advanced to Sunday’s final by blanking France 2-0 behind a defense that has posted a record six shutouts in seven matches this tournament. The final will be played in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with Argentina looking to become the first back-to-back World Cup champion in more than six decades. Fans looking to back the finalists can compare a DraftKings promo code or a FanDuel promo code before markets shift again. For England, the semifinal exit continues a painful pattern of near-misses on the world stage, though Tuchel’s tenure — built on gritty extra-time wins over Norway in the quarterfinals — showed the program has closed the gap on the sport’s traditional superpowers. Anyone hunting for value elsewhere this week can also browse the latest Pulsz promo code offer.

The result also adds another chapter to the historic rivalry between the two nations, a fixture long charged by the 1986 Maradona quarterfinal and the lingering Falklands sovereignty dispute. Scaloni had tried to keep the geopolitical undertones out of his pre-match messaging, telling reporters, “The reality is this is a football match. I am not going to mix everything up, especially regarding things that happened so long ago.” His team’s response on the field spoke loudest — a late, ruthless finish that will be remembered as one of the signature moments of this World Cup. Those shopping for a new home before the final can also check a BetMGM promo code or a Caesars promo code. Bettors watching the tournament unfold should expect Argentina to open as a live underdog against Spain’s suffocating defense, with markets shifting quickly once Sunday’s odds are posted, and those tracking line movement can lean on an odds and probability calculator to weigh the value.

Beyond the result itself, Wednesday’s collapse will fuel debate in England about squad depth and late-game management under pressure, questions Tuchel will have to answer before the next major tournament cycle. For Argentina, the story remains simple: as long as Messi is on the field, the world champions believe no deficit is too large and no clock is too short to complete a legendary run.