The Argentina men’s national football team beat England 2- 1 in their 2026 World Cup semifinal to book a duel with Spain in the final. The game will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, kicking off at 4 p.m Argentina time.

It proved a hard-fought, physical first half, with neither team willing to overcommit and waiting for opportunities.

In the second half, the Albiceleste looked like the best team, but a defensive lapse put it behind early. In the 55th minute, a quick counterattack led by Declan Rice ended with a cross that forward Anthony Gordon tapped into the back of the net.

The game sent England to defend deeper and deeper, giving Argentina the ball. 

It proved a costly mistake, as Argentina had several goalscoring chances. With five minutes to go, the comeback began when former River Plate star Enzo Fernández scored with a long-range shot that caught the England goalkeeper off guard, making it 1-1.

In the 92nd minute of added time, star and captain Lionel Messi picked up the ball after a missed shot by Alexis Mac Allister and put in a cross for striker Lautaro Martínez to head in inside the six-yard box and seal the win.

“Since the first time my dad got me a pair of boots, I dreamed of scoring this goal,” said Martínez, who struggled to hold off the tears. “I want to dedicate it to my mom too, who never stopped looking after me even when I left to play for [Buenos Aires-based club] Racing.”

The win proved a highly emotional affair for Messi and his teammates, who celebrated with a “The Malvinas are Argentine” flag, which wasn’t shown in the official broadcast due to rules against political messages.

“I’ve got no words,” said head coach Lionel Scaloni after the game. “I said this team won’t stop surprising me, and we’ll go to win it all, but after this it’s very hard for fans to understand what this team is doing.”

Argentina will now go up against Spain, who beat France 2-0 on Tuesday, in a dream final scheduled for Sunday.

“We’re unique, look at this,” said Scaloni, looking at the Argentine fans in the stadium. “These people pushed us to win.”

Editorial disclaimer: Although the UK refers to the territory as the “Falkland Islands,” Argentina strongly contests this name. The Buenos Aires Herald uses “Malvinas” to refer to the islands.

Cover image: Selección Argentina twitter