FIFA World Cup

Semi-finals

ENG England England - ARG Argentina Argentina

England England

Argentina Argentina

Atlanta Stadium(Sold out)

Ismail Elfath

Full-time: England 1-2 Argentina

England took the lead through Gordon early on in the second half and looked in control in the minutes after. With the clock ticking and defeat looking likely, Argentina threw on the likes of De Paul, González and eventually Martínez. Their late wave of pressure eventually told, with both Fernandez and Martínez scoring late goals to complete a brilliant comeback and send them on their way to the final.

End of second half

Full-time

90'

+ 9

Finish line in sight

Argentina continue to defend well and have mere seconds left on the clock.

90'

+ 6

Substitution

Marcus Rashford

Djed Spence

90'

+ 6

Substitution

Ivan Toney

John Stones

90'

+ 5

Throwing everything forward

England have Argentina penned in their own box as they search for a late goal.

90'

+ 4

Yellow card

Rodrigo de Paul

There it is, 2-1!

Mac Allister hits the post with a brilliant effort and Messi picks up the rebound. He then floats a cross toward the far post where Martínez is waiting to nod into an empty net.

90'

+ 2

Lautaro Martínez

GOAL!

1:2

Assist:L. Messi

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

52 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

4.05 m

90'

+ 1

Nine more minutes

Will we see another goal in normal time?

What a goal, 1-1!

A corner is played to Fernandez who is sitting in a central position outside the area. He takes a touch before arrowing a shot into the far side of the goal.

85'

Enzo Fernandez

GOAL!

1:1

Assist:L. Messi

Goal probability

3 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

23.11 m

84'

Overhit

Messi sends in another cross but gets this one wrong, and sees it sail out of play.

83'

Will they hold out?

Less than 10 minutes remain, will England hold onto their lead?

82'

Substitution

Nico O'Reilly

Declan Rice

82'

Substitution

Dan Burn

Reece James

81'

Substitution

Lautaro Martínez

Nicolás Tagliafico

79'

Pushing

Argentina's shot count keeps climbing.

Goal attempts

2off target

3on target

6off target

3on target

78'

Another header

This time it's González who heads wide, but he was offside anyway.

76'

Off the post!

De Paul fires a fierce cross in toward the far post, where Mac Allister heads it against the post from close range.

75'

Standing strong

Argentina continue to send crosses into the England box, but so far Tuchel's men have dealt with everything thrown their way.

72'

Substitution

Gonzalo Montiel

Nahuel Molina

72'

Substitution

Nicolás Otamendi

Lisandro Martinez

72'

Substitution

Rodrigo de Paul

Giuliano Simeone

72'

Substitution

Ezri Konsa

Anthony Gordon

Incredible stop!

Messi bends in a delightful cross which finds the head of González close to the six-yard box. His header is low to Pickford's right but he gets down quickly to push it away.

65'

Probing

Argentina are desperately trying to unlock the England backline.

64'

Substitution

Nico González

Leandro Paredes

62'

Clinical

England managed to find the back of the net with just their second shot on target.

Goal attempts

1off target

2on target

4off target

1on target

Massive tackle!

Simeone bears down on goal and is face-to-face with Pickford. As he's about to pull the trigger, Spence slides in to clear the ball at the crucial moment.

England break the deadlock!

They play out from a goal-kick before searching for Rogers' run in behind. Rice picks up the loose ball and returns it to Rogers, who crosses for Gordon to knock home from close range at the far post.

55'

Anthony Gordon

GOAL!

1:0

Assist:M. Rogers

Goal probability

57 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

5.21 m

51'

Intent

Both sides have looked brighter going forward in these opening exchanges.

51'

Yellow card

Cristian Romero

48'

Huge save!

Álvarez nicks the ball off Spence before firing toward the near post, where Pickford pulls out a strong save.

46'

We're back!

The ball is rolling for the second half.

Kick-off!

Half-time: England 0-0 Argentina

The sides go into the break with nothing to separate them after a tense first half. Neither side looked like creating, with both wary of leaving space in behind. England were arguably the more forward thinking of the two, although there was very little in it.

Half-time

43'

Final few minutes

Will we see a breakthrough goal before the whistle?

42'

Yellow card

Lisandro Martinez

Influence growing

Messi is starting to stamp his authority on the game.

39'

Fernandez from range

His powerful effort from distance goes narrowly over the bar.

37'

Yellow card

Elliot Anderson

36'

Punched clear

James swings in the free-kick and Martínez clears the danger.

35'

Another set-piece

Bellingham wins a free-kick on the edge of the Argentina box.

34'

Long wait

Stones' effort was the first of note from either side.

Goal attempts

1off target

0on target

0off target

0on target

33'

Wide of the mark

Stones heads wide of the far post from a Rice free-kick, the closest they've come so far.

31'

Short of ideas

Neither side look like testing the opposing 'keeper at the moment.

25'

England escape

Pickford is fouled and the sides go into the hydration break level.

24'

Chance

Argentina win their first corner of the night.

Slow burner

There's been a real lack of goalmouth action so far.

14'

Crowded out

Gordon cuts in from the left and tries to fashion a shooting opportunity, but the Argentinian defence snuff out any threat before he can pull the trigger.

11'

Tasty

Both sides are up for the fight here.

Fouls committed

No threat

Argentina clear, before winning a free-kick to relieve the pressure.

First corner

Rogers drives down the right-hand side toward the byline before seeing his cross cleared.

Intense start

Tempers are flaring already after a flurry of late challenges from Argentina.

And we're off!

Argentina get the action underway.

Kick-off!

Edging closer

Less than 15 minutes until kick-off remain.

Final in sight

Can Kane fire England to a long-awaited World Cup final?

Preparations begin

Both sides are out on the grass.

Reunited

This is Argentina’s sixth FIFA World Cup meeting with England. The only side La Albiceleste have faced more often at the tournament are Germany.

Hey Jude!

Former Dortmund starlet Bellingham, meanwhile, is making his 22nd appearance at a major international tournament, lifting him above Rooney and Steven Gerrard (21 each) in England's all-time rankings.

Another Kane record

The Bayern striker is set to become England's record outfield appearance-maker, with his 121st cap taking him ahead of Wayne Rooney (120). Only goalkeeper Peter Shilton (125) has played more times for the Three Lions.

More on that England team

Tuchel makes three changes to the England side that started the quarter-final victory over Norway. James and Spence replace Konsa and O’Reilly at right and left-back respectively, while Rogers is preferred to Madueke on the right flank. Kane, as ever, leads the line.

More on that Argentina team

Argentina make just one change from their extra-time victory over Switzerland in the last round, with Simeone replacing De Paul (pictured r., next to Lionel Messi). Leverkusen midfielder Palacios is among the substitutes.

Starting line-up: England

England subs

Burn, Chalobah, Eze, D. Henderson, J. Henderson, Konsa, Madueke, Mainoo, O’Reilly, Rashford, Saka, Toney, Trafford, Watkins

Starting line-up: Argentina

Argentina subs

Almada, Barco, De Paul, González, Lo Celso, López, Lautaro Martínez, Medina, Montiel, Musso, Otamendi, Palacios, Paz, Rulli, Sensesi

'We want to get over the line'

“This has been an extremely successful era of our national team, getting to semi-finals and finals, and we want to get over the line,” Kane continued. “That is the missing piece now. We’ve been together for six weeks and shown every bit of desire for the badge. We’re going to need an even bigger push now.”

Kane ready for challenge ahead

The striker also discussed England's win over Norway and what this run means for the Three Lions. “It was tough out there against Norway with the heat and humidity. We can play better on the ball. We know that for sure. We will try to improve with the ball as much as possible.”

Kane praises Tuchel

Ahead of this clash, England captain Kane has praised his head coach Thomas Tuchel's impact. "He [Tuchel] wears his heart on his sleeve and people appreciate that. When he talks, it is never scripted. That is what makes him who he is. When it just comes natural you believe in that, you believe in what he is saying, you believe in his approach. He is one of the best managers in the world for a reason. We understand it."

Spain await

In the other semi-final, Spain had too much for France as they prevailed 2-0 thanks to goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro. Should England get through, we will have a repeat of the Euro 2024 final, while Argentina would face La Roja for the first time since their 6-1 friendly defeat in 2018 if they win.

All hopes rest on Kane

Bayern Munich hold a remarkable record of having had a player in every World Cup final since 1982. With Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano falling just short with France, it means Harry Kane is the Bundesliga champions' last remaining hope of continuing that streak.

No Quansah

Bayer Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah is one of two England players unavailable for this semi-final as he serves the last game of his two-match suspension for his red card against Mexico. He will be back for the final/third-place play-off. Jordan Henderson is the other man out after breaking his arm celebrating in Mexico City.

Spain or France?

After Tuesday's first semi-final, England and Argentina now know that victory in Atlanta will set up a tantalising final in New York/New Jersey against Spain on Sunday. But defeat still means one more match in the third-place play-off against France in Miami on Saturday.

Pickford on facing Messi

Despite amassing more than 200 caps for Argentina, this will be Messi's first-ever game against England. Pickford, though, appears to be relishing the challenge. "It’s great to finally come up against him – I watched him a lot as a kid. We all know how good Messi is but we also know how good Argentina are so we can’t focus solely on him.”

Pickford discusses England's journey

The England goalkeeper has been on media duties in the build-up to this last four clash, and has spoken about how his team got here. “You’ve seen throughout the tournament, you’ve seen our desire to win titles, we’ve not gotten into any scuffles or anything. We’ve been very respectful within the game – if decisions go our way or if they don’t go our way, we just reset, we go again, and we let the football do the talking. It just shows our mentality, we don’t get wrapped up in things like that, we stay focused.”

Scaloni praises team spirit

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni, meanwhile, has praised his team's fight and endeavour. “What this team has achieved is historic, even though we could have played better. It’s historic to be in a semi-final again,” he said. “It’s a privileged space in football, not an easy feat. We’re happy and excited now, and we will try to make it to the end with every last drop of sweat.”

2:57

Watch: Bellingham' magic moments

Enjoy some of England star Bellingham's best moments in the Bundesliga during his time with Borussia Dortmund.

Tuchel praises Bellingham and Kane

In the build-up to this encounter, England head coach Thomas Tuchel has been glowing in his appraisal of stars Kane and Jude Bellingham, who have scored six goals apiece in this tournament. “If we are talking about a formula, it’s pretty simple: Put Harry and Jude together, they will do the rest We need to get better in attacking, to also bring other players into position, but of course they are decisive players. They love the responsibility, they have the quality, they show up in decisive moments, so there’s nothing wrong with it, we don’t need to be sorry for that. These two guys play for us and decide the matches for us, it’s impressive.”

Remember him?

Argentina's Nico González first made a name for himself in Europe with VfB Stuttgart, scoring 22 goals across 72 Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 appearances. You can watch five of his best in Germany below.

5:57

Kane chasing Messi

Harry Kane has scored 73 goals for Bayern Munich and England since the start of 2025/26, including a division-topping 36 from 31 games in the Bundesliga - you can watch them all here. It's the second-highest total by a player in Europe since 2000 behind the 82 Lionel Messi struck for Barcelona and Argentina in 2011/12. Making up that nine-goal gap is a stretch in two games remaining at this World Cup, but it's a remarkable achievement for Kane to have got so close.

Head-to-head

The two World Cup-winning nations have only met on 14 previous occasions, with England narrowly edging ahead with six wins to Argentina's four. England have also outscored their opponents, netting 21 times in comparison to Argentina's 17. The Three Lions are also unbeaten in their last three outings against their South American opposition, winning November's 2005's friendly 3-2, their first meeting since the FIFA World Cup 2002 when David Beckham converted his penalty, two years after their 0-0 draw in 2000.

How they got here: England

After opening their World Cup campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia, England were held to a 0-0 draw against Ghana but topped their group after beating Panama 2-0. Harry Kane's brace then sent the Three Lions past DR Congo before England's leading goalscorer struck again after Jude Bellingham's double to defeat co-hosts Mexico (3-2), before Thomas Tuchel's side booked their semi-final ticket after overcoming Norway (2-1 AET).

How they got here: Argentina

The reigning champions comfortably topped Group J with wins over Algeria (3-0), Austria (2-0) and Jordan (3-1), but needed extra time to defeat Cabo Verde (3-2 AET) in the round of 32. Lionel Scaloni's side were then heading out against Egypt until three goals in the final 14 minutes overturned a 2-0 deficit in the round of 16, before needing extra time to beat Switzerland 3-1.

Hello and welcome

Thank you for joining us for build-up and live match coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final between England and Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday 15 July.