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As Argentina entered their second consecutive World Cup final, the journey to defend their 2022 title was nothing short of wild. From Lionel Messi becoming the tournament’s leading scorer to four consecutive comeback wins, it would be difficult to keep Argentina out of the final.
Argentina will face Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, marking the second time the two countries have competed on the World Cup stage. The match will feature some of football’s biggest stars, including Messi and 19-year-old Lamine Yamal going head-to-head.
Here’s everything to know about Argentina’s journey to the 2026 World Cup final.
Is this Lionel Messi’s last World Cup?
Despite still playing at a high level, the 39-year-old Messi could retire from international competition after this tournament.
Should Messi continue to compete, he would be 43 years old at the 2030 World Cup, which would tie him as the second-oldest player to play in a World Cup, next to Colombia’s Faryd Mondragón.
Did Argentina win the World Cup?
While Argentina are in contention for a fourth World Cup title on Sunday, they have previously won it in 1978, 1986 and 2022.
Has Lionel Messi won a World Cup?
Messi won the World Cup in 2022 with Argentina. Messi scored a finish before Argentina topped France on penalties.
On top of the title, Messi also received his second Ballon d’Or award, awarded to the tournament’s best player. He won the award in 2014 despite losing in the final to Germany.
How many times has Argentina won the World Cup?
As we previously mentioned, Argentina has won the World Cup three times: 1978, 1986 and most recently in 2022.
Argentina defeated the Netherlands 3-1 in 1978, while Diego Maradona led the team to a 3-2 win over West Germany in 1986. Their victory in 2022 was their first title win decided by penalties.
Argentina have lost three World Cup finals, including the first edition in 1930 to hosts Uruguay. It has lost twice to Germany in the final, in 1990 and in 2014.
England vs. Argentina Result at World Cup 2026
Argentina and England have met several times at the World Cup. On Wednesday, Argentina stormed back to defeat England 2-1 in the semi-finals.
After trailing 1-0 in the 55th minute, Enzo Fernández scored Argentina’s first goal in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martinez’s header sealed their victory in stoppage time to progress to the final.
Who beat Argentina in the World Cup?
Argentina has won all seven matches it has played so far. It defeated Algeria, Austria and Jordan in group play. Argentina needed extra time to survive Cape Verde in the Round of 16 and needed a thrilling comeback to beat Egypt in the Round of 16. Argentina needed extra time again to advance to the quarter-finals and beat Switzerland. Finally, Argentina completed a comeback victory over England in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
Who is leading the Golden Boot Race 2026?
After the semi-final, Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappé are currently tied with eight goals each. Not far behind with six goals are England’s Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, along with France’s Ousmane Dembélé.
Messi has the edge over Mbappé for first place in the Golden Boot race thanks to his four assists in this tournament. Assists are the first tiebreaker in the Golden Boot race.
Messi currently has the best odds of -250 to win the award, with Mbappé sitting just behind with +200 odds.
