World Cup 2026 pages
Sports · World Cup 2026 · Semi-final
Englandvs
Argentina
1–2
Full time · Wednesday, July 15, 2026 · 3:00 p.m. ET · Atlanta Stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), Atlanta, GA
Result
Argentina reached a second successive World Cup final with a dramatic late comeback, beating England 2-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Anthony Gordon put England ahead in the 55th minute, finishing Morgan Rogers' cross from close range. Argentina levelled through Enzo Fernández on 85, who swept in a Lionel Messi corner, and won it in the 92nd minute when substitute Lautaro Martínez headed home another Messi delivery. Argentina, unbeaten and now seven wins from seven, meet Spain in the final in New York/New Jersey on 19 July; England go into the third-place play-off against France. Argentina advance to the final.
England 4-2-3-14-1-4-1 ArgentinaEnglandSubstitutions
At this Stage
Argentina are going back to the final. The reigning champions arrived unbeaten but spent 85 minutes staring at the exit: Anthony Gordon's 55th-minute tap-in, from Morgan Rogers' cross, had England — chasing a first final since 1966 — half an hour from New York. Then Lionel Messi took the tie by the collar. His corner was turned in by Enzo Fernández on 85, and his cross was headed home by substitute Lautaro Martínez two minutes into stoppage time to win it 2-1. Scaloni's side, now seven wins from seven, reach a second straight World Cup final and meet Spain — 2-0 conquerors of France — in New York/New Jersey on 19 July. England, undone at the death, drop into Saturday's third-place play-off against the French.
Quarter-final
Semi-final
Final
What we know now
Venue: Atlanta Stadium
Attendance: 68,239
Watch: FOX in English (free over the air, or stream on Fox One) and Telemundo in Spanish (stream on Peacock or the Telemundo app). Kickoff 3 p.m. ET.
Watched by: 15.1M in the US
What I said beforehand
The preview, frozen at kickoff. Clearly dated, never rewritten — that's the deal that makes the predictions worth anything.
Argentina to reach the final. The reigning champions are the only perfect team left — six wins from six — with Lionel Messi (eight goals, tied for the Golden Boot) orchestrating and a settled, battle-hardened spine in front of Emiliano Martínez. They were pushed hard by Switzerland but found a way, as champions do. England are dangerous and in form — Jude Bellingham was electric against Norway and Harry Kane keeps scoring in knockouts — but they lose the suspended Jarell Quansah, carry a fitness doubt over Declan Rice, and have needed extra time to get here. Argentina's depth and know-how edge a tight one. Argentina by a single goal; extra time would not surprise.
My locked pick: Argentina advance ✓ RIGHT
“Argentina to reach the final. Scaloni's reigning champions are the only perfect team left — six wins from six — with Lionel Messi (eight goals, tied for the Golden Boot) orchestrating and a settled, battle-hardened spine in front of Emiliano Martínez, and they came through a physical extra-time test against Switzerland. England are into a first World Cup semi-final since 2018 and carry Jude Bellingham's red-hot form and Harry Kane's knockout goals, but they lose the suspended Jarell Quansah and carry a fitness doubt over Declan Rice. Argentina's depth and know-how edge a tight tie; extra time would not surprise.”
Locked 2026-07-12 11:47 UTC — rendered verbatim from the pick ledger; never a fresher, hedged version
The case for England
31% to winEngland have found a winning habit under Thomas Tuchel: they topped Group L, survived nearly an hour with ten men to beat Mexico, and dug out a 2-1 extra-time win over Norway. Jude Bellingham is playing the tournament of his life, Harry Kane remains ruthless in the box, and Jordan Pickford gives them a settled, in-form goalkeeper. If they match Argentina's intensity, protect the wide areas and let Bellingham and Kane get at a champions' defence that Switzerland exposed, a first World Cup final since 1966 is within reach.
The case for Argentina
44% to winArgentina have the tournament's highest ceiling and the calm of reigning champions: six wins from six, Messi tied for the Golden Boot, and match-winners all over the pitch in Julián Álvarez, Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martínez. Their spine — Emiliano Martínez, Cristian Romero, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández — has been here before and rarely blinks in a knockout. With no fresh injuries or suspensions and the deepest bench left in the draw, Scaloni's side can control the tempo and let Messi decide a tight tie, just as they did on the way to the 2022 title.
Both cases written 2026-07-12, before kickoff — they freeze into the record exactly as written, however the match goes. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — the unclaimed 25% belongs to the draw.
Storylines
- One of the World Cup's fiercest rivalries, renewed with a final at stake: Argentina and England meet in a knockout tie for the first time since the 1998 last-16 shootout — the history runs from Maradona's two goals in the 1986 quarter-final to Beckham in 1998 and 2002.
- Lionel Messi, 39 and in what is almost certainly his last World Cup, is tied for the Golden Boot on eight goals and driving the reigning champions' bid to become the first back-to-back winners since Brazil in 1958-62.
- England are into a first World Cup semi-final since 2018 and chasing a first final since their 1966 triumph, powered by Jude Bellingham's extra-time heroics against Norway and Harry Kane's knockout goals — but they must do it without the suspended Jarell Quansah.
- FIFA's neutrality policy keeps English and Argentine officials apart — a legacy of the 1982 Falklands conflict — so a neutral crew, still to be appointed, will referee. The winner reaches the final in New York/New Jersey on 19 July; the loser drops to the third-place play-off in Miami.
The coaches
Thomas Tuchel England
The German coach has England grinding out results — topping Group L, surviving a red card to beat Mexico, and edging Norway in extra time — and into a first World Cup semi-final since 2018, with Bellingham and Kane his match-winners.
Lionel Scaloni Argentina
The 2022 World Cup-winning coach has kept Argentina unbeaten and hunting back-to-back titles, building around Lionel Messi with a deep, experienced squad that rarely blinks in a knockout.
Availability
| Jarell Quansah | Suspended for the semi-final — serving the second match of a two-game ban for his red card against Mexico in the round of 16, having already missed the quarter-final | Yahoo Sports / TNT Sports |
| Declan Rice | Was taken off at half-time of the extra-time quarter-final win over Norway with a sickness bug rather than an injury; staff are monitoring his recovery but he is expected back in the starting midfield | Yahoo Sports / Sports Mole |
| Reece James | Back to fitness and the only recognised right-back available; pushing to start there, which would let Ezri Konsa move inside to centre-back | Sports Mole / Goal |
| Lionel Messi | Fit and available; managed late in the extra-time quarter-final but no injury concern, and stays tied for the Golden Boot on eight goals | Sports Mole / ESPN |
| Lautaro Martínez | Booked in the quarter-final along with Thiago Almada and José Manuel López, but yellow cards are wiped after the quarter-finals, so no Argentina player is suspended for the semi-final | Sports Mole / Yahoo Sports |
| Nico O'Reilly | Nursing a hamstring complaint expected to ease by kickoff; likely to keep the left-back role, though Djed Spence is pushing to replace him | Sports Mole |
Availability drifts hourly in tournament week — every row carries its source and date for exactly that reason.
Weather: Atlanta Stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) has a retractable roof and is air-conditioned, so conditions will be controlled regardless of the Georgia summer heat outside. (Venue (retractable roof), as of 2026-07-12)
Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States). Assisted by fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, with Italy's Maurizio Mariani as fourth official. Casablanca-born Elfath was a knockout-round referee at the 2022 World Cup and fourth official for that tournament's final. (FIFA semi-final appointment (Al Jazeera; Outlook India, 14 Jul 2026), as of 2026-07-14)
Venue: Atlanta Stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), Atlanta, GA, United States — FIFA strips sponsor names for the tournament; the everyday name is in parentheses.