Recapping Argentina’s run to the 2026 World Cup final

If Argentina’s run to the final can be described with one fact, it is this: La Albiceleste have not led until the 90th minute in any of their knockout stage matches.

With two comebacks and two overtime victories, Argentina’s run to the World Cup final is unlike anything seen before. Four of their last seven World Cup knockout matches have gone to extra time, two of them in this tournament.

Lionel Messi & Co. will face Spain on Sunday at 3 pm EST at New York New Jersey Stadium on FOX.

This matchup will be the first time that the number 1 and 2 teams in the FIFA rankings meet in the final (since rankings were introduced in 1992).

It will also be the first World Cup final between the current European champions and the current Copa América champions.

So how did Argentina get here? How unlikely has your participation in the World Cup been? Let’s dive in.

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Behind Lionel Messi’s first hat trick in a World Cup, Argentina recorded a 3-0 victory over Algeria in their first match.

• Messi recorded his first hat-trick in a World Cup and Argentina’s fifth hat-trick in a World Cup.
• Messi became the oldest player to record a hat trick in a World Cup match at 38 years and 357 days; He surpassed record-holder Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a hat-trick against Spain in 2018 at the age of 33.

• Messi became the second man to score in five different World Cups, joining Cristiano Ronaldo.
• Messi now holds the record for Argentina’s youngest and oldest goalscorer in a World Cup (he scored at age 18 in 2006 and scored at age 38 against Algeria).

After missing a penalty kick early in the match, Messi redeemed himself with two more goals in Argentina’s 2-0 victory against Austria to clinch Group J.

• Lionel Messi scored two goals to become the first man or woman to reach 18 career goals in the World Cup.
• After this match, Messi became the second player to score four or more goals in three different men’s World Cups (Miroslav Klose).

Having clinched Group J, Argentina mixed up the lineup with multiple new starters in the group final against Jordan. Giovani Lo Celso scored Argentina’s first goal this summer that was not the work of Messi, while Lautaro Martínez added another. Then, after coming on via a substitution, Messi’s brilliance was on display once again as he scored a beautiful free-kick goal for his sixth goal of the group stage.

• Argentina scored two free throws in this game, bringing their total to five since 1966; which is tied for second place with South Korea with five, and only behind Brazil (12).
• Messi scored his only goal on a free kick, giving him two direct free kick goals in his World Cup career, the sixth player to reach that mark since 1966 (Pelé, Rivellino, Téofilo Cubillas, Bernard Genghini, David Beckham).
• Lionel Messi extended his record for the most goals in a World Cup by a man or woman (19).
• Messi set the record for most consecutive games in a World Cup with a goal at seven.

Argentina completed one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history against Egypt in the round of 16 (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images).

In the round of 32, Argentina barely survived what would have been one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. Cape Verde, a country with a population of approximately 529,000, took the defending World Cup champions to overtime.

After Messi’s 29th-minute goal put Argentina in front, Cape Verde responded in the 59th minute to force extras. Then, after Argentina took the lead again in the 92nd minute, Sidny Lopes Cabral scored the goal of the tournament to tie the score once again for the Blue Sharks. As penalties loomed, an own goal by Cape Verde marked the winning goal that sent Argentina through.

If Cape Verde had advanced, It would have been the biggest upset in a FIFA knockout stage match in World Cup history.; Cape Verde ranked 67th, while Argentina ranked first (difference of 66 spots).

• Argentina scored two or more goals in 10 consecutive World Cup games, the longest streak since West Germany scored nine in a row between 1966 and 1970.
• Lionel Messi became the first man or woman to score 20 career goals in a World Cup
• Vozinha finished the World Cup with two clean sheets, becoming only the third goalkeeper in World Cup history to record two clean sheets at age 40 or older (Peter Shilton, Dino Zoff).

For nearly 80 minutes, it looked like the defending champions were coming home.

Argentina trailed Egypt 2-0 entering the 79th minute of their round of 16 match before scoring three goals in a stunning 13-minute span to complete one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history.

Egypt took the lead in the 15th minute, marking the first time Argentina had trailed in a World Cup match since their opening match of the 2022 tournament against Saudi Arabia. The Pharaohs doubled their lead in the 67th minute, leaving Argentina on the verge of elimination.

Then everything changed. Cristian Romero sparked the comeback in the 79th minute, converting an assist from Messi to cut the deficit to 2-1. Just four minutes later, Messi found the equalizer himself. Then, in added time, Enzo Fernández completed the miracle, scoring in the 92nd minute to seal an improbable 3-2 victory.

• According to Opta’s probability of winning model, Argentina’s chances of winning the match in regulation time were 0.6% entering the 78th minute.– moments before Romero made it 2-1.
• This was the first time Argentina came back from a two-goal deficit to win a match in the World Cup.
• Argentina became the first team to win a World Cup match in regulation after trailing by two goals in the 78th minute, and just the second team overall after Belgium against Senegal earlier in this tournament.

• Messi scored and assisted in this match, the fifth time he has done so in a World Cup match; no other player has more than three such games since assists were first recorded in 1966.
• Messi became the first player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive knockout stage matches.
• Messi became the first and only player to record an assist in six different World Cups.

In the quarterfinals, after an early goal by Alexis Mac Allister in the 10th minute, the Albiceleste seemed headed for an easy victory. Switzerland’s Dan Ndoye then equalized in the 67th minute. However, just as all the momentum shifted towards Switzerland, Breel Embolo was sent off moments later after receiving his second yellow card.

The game was tied 1-1 for 111 minutes.until Julián Álvarez scored one of the best goals of the tournament to give Argentina the advantage. Lautaro Martínez would score the third at 120 (+1), putting the nail in the coffin.

• Argentina reached consecutive World Cup semifinals for the second time in its history, the last time doing so in 1986 and 1990.
• Four of Julián Álvarez’s five career World Cup goals have been scored in the knockout rounds, tied with Diego Maradona for the second most scored by an Argentine player, behind only Lionel Messi (seven).
• Embolo became the fourth player since 1966 to receive a yellow card for simulation (Francesco Totti in 2002, Luis Pérez in 2006, Asamoah Gyan in 2006).

After conceding a goal in the 55th minute, Argentina found itself at a disadvantage again. But with five minutes left, Messi saved the day once again by finding Enzo Fernández for the tying goal. Seven minutes later, he found Martínez to score the winning goal.

• According to Opta’s probability of winning model, Argentina had only a 1.3% chance of winning the match. inside the 90 minutes in the 84th minute, immediately before Fernández scored.
• With goals in the 85th and 90th minutes (+2) in this match, Argentina has scored eight goals after the 85th minute (including extra time) in this World Cup, a record for a national team in a single edition in the history of the tournament.

• Argentina reached its seventh World Cup final, tying Brazil for the second most finals of all time (Germany has reached eight).
• Argentina became the first team since Brazil in 1998 to enter the World Cup ranked No. 1 in the FIFA rankings and then reach the final.
• Argentina has won a team-record 14 consecutive matches, is undefeated in 13 consecutive World Cup matches (11 wins), and has won seven consecutive World Cup matches for the first time.
• Argentina has recorded multiple goals in 13 consecutive World Cup matches, extending its own record; The Albiceleste also became the only team to score at least two goals in all seven matches of this World Cup.
• Lionel Messi had two assists in this match; To date he has scored or assisted in 11 consecutive World Cup matches, the longest streak on record (since 1966).