Argentina's road to the 2026 World Cup final ahead of Spain New Jersey battle

Argentina's erstwhile World Cup triumph arrived conscionable 4 years agone successful Qatar, wherever Lionel Messi yet got his hands connected the 1 trophy that had eluded him.

Standing connected the brink of back-to-back titles, Lionel Scaloni's broadside are aiming to go the archetypal federation to clasp the World Cup since Brazil managed the feat successful 1962.

Unlike their triumphant tally successful Qatar 4 years ago, Argentina's roadworthy to the 2026 World Cup last has been acold from straightforward, requiring other clip successful 2 of their 4 knockout matches to support their hopes of a 4th satellite rubric alive.

The three-time World champions' qualifying run gave small hint of the play to come, with La Albiceleste topping CONMEBOL and becoming the archetypal South American broadside to publication their spot successful North America.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look astatine Argentina's way to the World Cup final.

Argentina's roadworthy to the 2026 World Cup final: Group signifier statement

Group J was ne'er expected to occupation the defending champions, and Argentina duly delivered a near-flawless connection of intent.

Scaloni's broadside opened with a regular 3-0 triumph implicit Algeria, with Messi marking the juncture with a hat-trick that made him the oldest subordinate successful men's World Cup past to people 3 goals successful a match, surpassing the grounds antecedently held by Cristiano Ronaldo.

A comfy 2-0 triumph implicit Austria followed earlier Argentina wrapped up the radical signifier with a 3-1 triumph implicit Jordan to implicit a cleanable record. 

Messi came disconnected the seat to people successful that matchday 3 fixture, meaning the eight-time Ballon d'Or victor recovered the nett successful each 3 radical matches, serving announcement that Father Time was going to person to hold a small longer.

Nine points from 9 secured apical spot successful the radical and acceptable up a Round of 32 necktie that would beryllium acold much investigating than anyone anticipated.

Argentina's roadworthy to the 2026 World Cup final: Cape Verde scare

Few gave debutants Cape Verde a supplication against the reigning champions, but the Blue Sharks came wrong a whisker of the top daze successful World Cup history.

Messi opened the scoring successful the archetypal half, lone for Deroy Duarte to resistance the Central Africans level aft the interval, and that 1-1 scoreline held each the mode to afloat time.

Extra clip brought nary let-up successful the drama, with Lisandro Martinez restoring Argentina's pb with a near-post onslaught wrong the opening 2 minutes of the post-regulation period.

Sidny Lopes Cabral's exquisite curler past levelled it again astatine 2-2, a extremity bully capable to basal arsenic 1 of the strikes of the tournament.

Argentina's superior prime yet told heavy into the 2nd play of other time, arsenic Cristian Romero headed location a Messi country successful the 111th infinitesimal that deflected successful disconnected Cape Verde's Diney Borges to settee the contest.

That 3-2 win came astatine the outgo of immoderate borderline for error, with Argentina needing each ounce of their pedigree to past a full-blooded introspection from World Cup newcomers.

Argentina's roadworthy to the 2026 World Cup final: Egypt turnaround for the ages

The Round of 16 clash with Egypt successful Atlanta looked destined to extremity Argentina's rubric defence, and for agelong periods it precise astir did.

Yasser Ibrahim's aboriginal header enactment the Pharaohs successful front, and Messi past saw a first-half punishment saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.

Egypt thought they had doubled their pb moments earlier the hr people done Mostafa Zico, lone for the extremity to beryllium chalked disconnected aft a VAR reappraisal spotted a foul connected Lisandro Martinez successful the build-up, with the determination sparking plentifulness of statement fixed however acold the situation occurred from goal.

The reprieve proved lone temporary, arsenic Zico made the breakthrough number for existent minutes later, sweeping location from a accelerated Egypt counter-attack to marque it 2-0, leaving Argentina staring down the tube of a stunning elimination.

However, La Albiceleste turned the crippled connected its ain caput with a precocious surge, arsenic Romero headed successful from a Messi transverse successful the 79th minute, earlier the Argentine skipper himself levelled 4 minutes aboriginal with a first-time finish.

Enzo Fernandez completed 1 of the large World Cup comebacks with a header heavy into stoppage time, sealing a singular 3-2 victory and a spot successful the quarter-finals.

Argentina's roadworthy to the 2026 World Cup final: Switzerland edged aft Breel Embolo controversy

Kansas City played big to different portion of play arsenic Argentina faced a resolute Switzerland broadside successful the quarter-finals.

Alexis Mac Allister headed the holders into an aboriginal pb from a Messi corner, but Dan Ndoye levelled for the Swiss successful the 67th minute, mounting up a tense finale that turned connected a contentious VAR intervention.

Breel Embolo was controversially sent disconnected for simulation aft a reappraisal overturned a yellowish paper primitively shown to Leandro Paredes, leaving Switzerland to play the closing stages with 10 men.

Argentina made their numerical vantage number successful other time, with Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez some uncovering the nett to seal a 3-1 win.

Argentina's roadworthy to the 2026 World Cup final: Late amusement against England

An intriguing semi-final clash against England successful Atlanta pitted 2 sides with plentifulness of past and scores to settle.

La Albiceleste had triumphed successful their erstwhile 2 knockout meetings with the Three Lions, some of which came with their ain contention - Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" extremity helping animate a 2-1 triumph successful the 1986 quarter-finals and David Beckham's sending disconnected astatine the aforesaid signifier of their 1998 meeting, wherever the South Americans prevailed connected penalties.

As expected, this year's semi-final started connected a feisty note, with a combined 19 fouls recorded and not a azygous changeable registered by either broadside successful the full archetypal half, though determination was acold much shot connected amusement aft the interval.

Argentina refused to bow retired quietly, and Fernandez dragged them level successful the 85th infinitesimal to acceptable up a grandstand finish.

Deep into stoppage time, Messi picked retired Lautaro Martinez with a pinpoint cross, and the striker headed location to complete a 2-1 comeback victory.

Messi did not get connected the scoresheet himself, but his 2 assists enactment a stamp connected his credentials arsenic arguably the top subordinate the World Cup has ever seen and took his tally to 4 assists for the tournament, 2nd lone to France's Michael Olise, who leads the mode with five.

The Argentine skipper besides jointly leads the 2026 World Cup goal-scoring charts with eight, level with Kylian Mbappe, taking Messi’s all-time World Cup tally to 21 — the astir successful the competition's history.

That haul of 12 extremity contributions puts the eight-time Ballon d'Or victor arsenic the wide front-runner for the Golden Ball, an grant helium has already won doubly earlier and 1 nary different subordinate successful the tournament's past has managed to triumph much than once.

Argentina's roadworthy to the 2026 World Cup final: History waiting to beryllium written

Argentina's semi-final triumph sets up a last against Spain astatine New York New Jersey Stadium connected Sunday, July 19, marking the archetypal clip the reigning Copa America and European champions person ever met successful a World Cup final.

The gathering besides yet settles immoderate unfinished concern betwixt the brace aft their planned clash successful March's Finalissima — the accepted showpiece betwixt the continental champions of South America and Europe — was cancelled pursuing the escalation of struggle successful the Middle East, with Qatar deemed unsafe to big and nary alternate venue agreed upon.

What that cancelled fixture would person delivered anyhow is present acceptable to hap connected the biggest signifier successful football, arsenic Messi yet shares a transportation with Lamine Yamal, the babe helium was famously photographed bathing astatine a Camp Nou foundation sprout backmost successful 2007.