LIVE UPDATES: England 1-2 Argentina World Cup 2026 semi-finals – Follow all the action, goals and celebrations

90+6′ – Substitution (England): Djed Spence is taken off, with Marcus Rashford introduced as England look for a late equaliser.

90+6′ – Substitution (England): John Stones leaves the pitch after receiving treatment, with Ivan Toney coming on in his place.

90+4′ – Rodrigo de Paul (Argentina) receives a yellow card after referee Ismail Elfath takes action following comments from the midfielder.

90+2′ – GOAL! England 1-2 Argentina ⚽
Lautaro Martinez completes Argentina’s comeback! Lionel Messi delivers a brilliant cross into the box, and Martinez rises to head the ball into an empty net, putting the defending champions ahead late in the semi-final.

90′ – The fourth official indicates nine minutes of added time as England and Argentina continue to battle for a place in the World Cup final.

89′ – John Stones (England) goes down injured, forcing referee Ismail Elfath to stop play while the defender receives medical attention.

88′ – Lionel Messi (Argentina) sends a dangerous ball into the penalty area, but an alert England defender reacts quickly to clear the danger.

86′ – GOAL! England 1-1 Argentina ⚽
Enzo Fernandez brings Argentina level with a composed finish after a brilliant team move. The midfielder keeps his cool inside the box and slots the ball past Jordan Pickford to make it all square.

85′ – Lionel Messi (Argentina) takes the corner short despite several players waiting inside the penalty area for a delivery.

85′ – Excellent save! Enzo Fernandez (Argentina) finds space outside the box and unleashes a powerful effort towards the underside of the crossbar, but Jordan Pickford reacts brilliantly to push it away. Argentina win a corner.

84′ – Lionel Messi (Argentina) sends a cross into the penalty area, but the delivery fails to find a teammate and goes out for an England goal kick.

83′ – Substitution (England): Reece James is replaced by Dan Burn as England make a defensive change.

83′ – Substitution (England): Declan Rice comes off, with Nico O’Reilly introduced as Thomas Tuchel makes another tactical adjustment.

82′ – Reece James (England) goes down and signals for medical attention after appearing to pick up a knock. The extent of the issue remains unclear.

81′ – Substitution (Argentina): Nicolas Tagliafico makes way as Lautaro Martinez comes on to strengthen Argentina’s attack.

79′ – Morgan Rogers (England) creates space at the edge of the penalty area and fires a shot towards goal, but an Argentina defender blocks the effort.

78′ – Nicolas Gonzalez (Argentina) rises to meet Lionel Messi’s cross inside the box but heads narrowly wide of the right post. The assistant referee then raises the flag, with Gonzalez judged to have been offside.

75′ – Gonzalo Montiel (Argentina) delivers a cross into the box, but England’s defence stands firm and clears the danger.

72′ – Substitution (Argentina): Lisandro Martinez makes way, with Nicolas Otamendi introduced as Argentina look for a response.

72′ – Substitution (Argentina): Gonzalo Montiel comes on to replace Nahuel Molina.

72′ – Substitution (Argentina): Lionel Scaloni makes another change as Rodrigo de Paul replaces Giuliano Simeone.

72′ – Substitution (England): Anthony Gordon, the goalscorer, is taken off and replaced by Ezri Konsa.

70′ – The referee stops play for the second cooling break of the match as players take a moment to refresh.

69′ – Brilliant save! Jordan Pickford produces an outstanding stop to deny Nicolas Gonzalez (Argentina), who directs a powerful header towards the middle of the goal following a cross from the flank.

69′ – Lionel Messi (Argentina) delivers the resulting corner, but an England defender rises highest to head the ball clear.

68′ – Nicolas Tagliafico (Argentina) sends a dangerous cross into the penalty area, but England clear behind for another corner.

68′ – Lionel Messi (Argentina) swings in the corner, but it drifts into a crowded penalty area where England successfully deal with the danger.

67′ – Nicolas Gonzalez (Argentina) sees his attempted pass into the box blocked, earning Argentina another corner.

66′ – Excellent save! Declan Rice (England) creates space before firing a low long-range effort towards the centre of goal, but Emiliano Martinez gets down well to make a superb save.

64′ – Substitution (Argentina): Nicolas Gonzalez comes on to replace Leandro Paredes as Argentina make their first change of the match.

62′ – Lionel Messi (Argentina) attempts to slip a pass into the box, but England’s defence reacts quickly to cut out the danger.

61′ – Enzo Fernandez (Argentina) tries his luck from distance, but his effort sails high over the crossbar. England restart with a goal kick.

60′ – Giuliano Simeone (Argentina) sends a dangerous cross into the penalty area, but an England defender produces an excellent clearance.

59′ – Enzo Fernandez (Argentina) fails to deliver an accurate cross, with the ball running out of play for an England goal kick.

58′ – Lionel Messi (Argentina) swings a cross into the box, but England clear the danger with ease.

55′ – GOAL! England 1-0 Argentina ⚽
Anthony Gordon gives England the breakthrough with a composed finish. Morgan Rogers delivers a superb lofted cross into the penalty area, and Gordon meets it before firing a first-time effort into the bottom-left corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.

54′ – Leandro Paredes (Argentina) tries his luck from long range, but his effort flies well wide of the left post. England restart with a goal kick.

51′ – Cristian Gabriel Romero (Argentina) is shown a yellow card by referee Ismail Elfath following a heavy challenge.

51′ – Morgan Rogers (England) attempts to thread a pass through, but it is blocked by the Argentina defence.

50′ – Djed Spence (England) sends a long pass forward, but it lacks the required pace and is comfortably intercepted.

49′ – Lionel Messi’s (Argentina) cross is cleared away by the England defence.

49′ – Argentina take the corner short, with Lionel Messi opting for a quick routine.

49′ – Julian Alvarez (Argentina) unleashes a powerful effort towards the right corner, but Jordan Pickford reacts brilliantly to push the shot away for a corner.

47′ – Julian Alvarez (Argentina) latches onto a loose ball inside the penalty area and shoots low, but Jordan Pickford makes a comfortable save.

46′ – The second half is underway as England and Argentina resume their battle for a place in the World Cup final.

45+4′ – Half-time: The referee brings the first half to an end after a tightly contested opening 45 minutes, with neither side able to find the breakthrough.

45+3′ – Leandro Paredes (Argentina) is penalised for a robust challenge as referee Ismail Elfath awards England a free-kick.

45+2′ – Morgan Rogers (England) is flagged offside after straying beyond the last defender.

45′ – The fourth official indicates there will be a minimum of three minutes of added time at the end of the first half.

42′ – Lisandro Martinez (Argentina) goes into the referee’s book after receiving a yellow card for a robust challenge.

39′ – Enzo Fernandez (Argentina) unleashes a superb long-range effort that whistles just over the crossbar. England resume play with a goal kick.

37′ – Elliot Anderson (England) is shown a yellow card for a late tackle despite his protests to referee Ismail Elfath.

36′ – Reece James (England) curls the resulting free-kick into the penalty area, but the Argentina goalkeeper gathers comfortably.

35′ – Djed Spence (England) works his way into a promising position, but his cross into the box lacks quality and fails to trouble the Argentina defence.

33′ – John Stones (England) rises highest to meet a free-kick delivery, but his header sails comfortably wide of the right post. Argentina restart with a goal kick.

32′ – Enzo Fernandez (Argentina) is penalised for a reckless challenge, handing England a free-kick in a dangerous area.

31′ – Leandro Paredes (Argentina) attempts a crossfield pass, but it runs out of play without finding a teammate. England are awarded a goal kick.

30′ – Anthony Gordon (England) concedes a free-kick after a late challenge, with referee Ismail Elfath quick to whistle for the foul.

28′ – Julian Alvarez (Argentina) bursts into the penalty area but overhits his pass towards Lionel Messi, allowing England to restart with a goal kick.

25′ – The referee calls for the first cooling break, allowing both teams to pause for refreshments.

25′ – Giuliano Simeone (Argentina) is penalised for using excessive force in a challenge during an attacking move.

24′ – Lionel Messi (Argentina) steps up to take a corner after England concede.

24′ – Giuliano Simeone’s attempted delivery into the box is blocked, but Argentina earn a corner.

23′ – Jude Bellingham (England) is penalised for a heavy challenge as referee Ismail Elfath blows for a foul.

22′ – Morgan Rogers (England) beats his marker, but the move is halted after the referee spots an attacking foul.

21′ – Lionel Messi (Argentina) is caught offside after making his run too early.

19′ – Reece James (England) attempts to pick out a teammate, but Emiliano Martinez reads the danger and intercepts the pass.

17′ – Djed Spence (England) embarks on an impressive solo run, but his attack is halted as an Argentina defender makes a timely block.

15′ – Julian Alvarez (Argentina) finds space with a clever run, but his cross into the box fails to find a teammate.

14′ – Anthony Gordon (England) looks to burst through on goal, but an Argentina defender clears the danger.

13′ – Play is stopped as Giuliano Simeone (Argentina) is caught offside.

10′ – Elliot Anderson (England) brings down an opponent, and referee Ismail Elfath immediately awards Argentina a free-kick.

10′ – Play is briefly halted after Giuliano Simeone (Argentina) commits a foul while contesting for the ball.

9′ – Reece James (England) is penalised for a foul as Ismail Elfath blows his whistle.

8′ – Declan Rice’s corner delivery is cleared away by the Argentina defence.

7′ – Morgan Rogers (England) sends a dangerous cross into the box, but Argentina deal with the threat and concede a corner.

7′ – Giuliano Simeone (Argentina) is penalised for an attacking foul.

6′ – Julian Alvarez attempts to thread a pass through the England defence, but it is well intercepted.

5′ – Djed Spence (England) dribbles past several challenges before an Argentina defender dispossesses him.

3′ – Enzo Fernandez (Argentina) is penalised for a strong challenge.

2′ – Leandro Paredes (Argentina) concedes an early free-kick after a clumsy tackle.

1′ – The match is underway. Argentina kick off the semi-final at the referee’s whistle.

Pre-match – American referee Ismail Elfath has been appointed to officiate today’s World Cup semi-final.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ENGLAND vs ARGENTINA 🇦🇷

Starting XI's confirmed! ✅ pic.twitter.com/2TG6zUj4us

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) July 15, 2026

Argentina have relied on patience and control, topping the tournament charts for completed passes (4,162) and midfield line-breaking receptions (691).

Although both teams enjoy dominating possession—England averaging 52% and Argentina 55%—their attacking approaches differ. England have been more direct, leading the remaining teams in defensive line-breaking attempts (162), crosses (147) and runs in behind (102).

England have needed extra time once, while the defending champions have done so twice, leaving both teams to manage fatigue as they battle for a place in the final.

The Three Lions have won all three of their knockout matches by a single-goal margin, while Argentina have also been forced to dig deep, with two of their three knockout victories coming by the same scoreline.

England and Argentina have reached the World Cup semi-finals, but neither side has enjoyed an easy route to the last four.

Welcome to Africasoccer’s live coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final clash between England and Argentina.