England v Argentina, Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz) Stadium

All the talk of 86 and 98 but we were there in 2002 for the win against Argentina in Sapporo – if we played to our strengths surely we could win again…

Arriving at lunch time the day before the match we watched the other Semi in a decent sports bar (very quiet but just another Tuesday afternoon work day in Atlanta). Great Ted’s Steak House later but it was obvious we would be outnumbered on Match Day by the Argies.

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Semi-final

England 1 Argentina 2

Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Attendance: 68,239
Date: Wednesday 15 July 2026

Goals

England: Anthony Gordon 55’

Argentina: Enzo Fernández 85’, Lautaro Martínez 90+2’ 

England

Jordan Pickford; Reece James, John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Djed Spence; Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson; Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane (captain).

Substitutes used: Curtis Jones, Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Levi Colwill, Morgan Gibbs-White.

Argentina

Emiliano Martínez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Tagliafico; Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister; Giuliano Simeone, Lionel Messi (captain), Julián Álvarez.

Substitutes used: Lautaro Martínez and others. 

Match report

England’s dream of reaching a first World Cup final since 1966 was shattered by two devastating late Argentina goals in Atlanta as the reigning champions snatched victory in dramatic fashion.

Thomas Tuchel’s side produced one of their finest displays of the tournament. After a disciplined first half in which chances were limited, England took a deserved lead ten minutes after the restart. Jude Bellingham drove England forward before Anthony Gordon finished confidently to spark jubilant celebrations among the travelling supporters.

England continued to defend superbly for much of the second half, with John Stones and Marc Guéhi outstanding at the heart of the defence while Jordan Pickford made several important interventions. Harry Kane worked tirelessly up front and Bellingham once again dictated much of England’s attacking play.

But with just five minutes remaining, Argentina found the breakthrough they had been searching for. Midfielder Enzo Fernández struck a superb effort beyond Pickford to level the scores and swing the momentum decisively in the South Americans’ favour.

Extra time appeared inevitable until Lionel Messi produced one final moment of brilliance in stoppage time, releasing Lautaro Martínez, who finished coolly to complete a remarkable comeback and send the holders into Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain. England, heartbroken after coming within touching distance of the showpiece, must now regroup for Saturday’s third-place play-off against France. 

Match statistics

Possession: England 42% – 58% Argentina
Shots: England 8 – 14 Argentina
Shots on target: England 3 – 6 Argentina
Corners: England 3 – 7 Argentina
Result: England eliminated; Argentina advance to the World Cup Final against Spain. 

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