Argentina defeated the strong English side with a 2-1 comeback victory to set an epic final clash with Spain, which will be played in New York on Monday.
It was Lautaro Martínez’s 92nd-minute winner as Lionel Messi inspired World Cup holders Argentina to a stunning comeback to beat England on Thursday. For most of the match, England appeared poised to face Spain in the final after Anthony Gordon scored 10 minutes into the second half of the semi-final, witnessed by 68,239 fans in Atlanta.
The rivalry between the two nations continued from 1986 to 1998, when, on both occasions, Argentina’s controversial wins robbed the English side of the final, including the famous “hand of God” by Diego Maradona.
However, in today’s game, Messi set up Enzo Fernández to fire in an 85th-minute equaliser, and then, with extra time looming, crossed for substitute Lautaro Martínez to head in the winner in the second minute of stoppage time.
No team has retained the trophy since Brazil in 1962, and now Messi will become just the second player after Brazilian great Cafu to appear in three World Cup finals. Italy is the only other side to defend a World Cup crown.
The 2026 final will take place at the New York-New Jersey Stadium in New Jersey on July 20, as the first 48-team World Cup boils down to a confrontation between the reigning champions of Europe and South America.
The final will be a clash between the defending champions, looking to complete their title defence against the current European champions, Spain.
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