The entire 2026 World Cup has been absolute cinema, and with the four highest-ranked teams advancing to the semifinals for the first time ever, the last three games of the tournament promise to be the same. Spain is already in the final after topping France in a 2-0 affair yesterday afternoon, and either Argentina or England has a chance to join La Roja after today’s 3 p.m. ET semifinal in Atlanta.
If the Albiceleste advance, they’ll have the chance to become the first back-to-back tournament winners since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, and they’ll set up the first-ever World Cup final between the Euro and Copa América title-holders. In the Three Lions’ case, it’d be their first World Cup final since they won it in 1966, and it’ll be a rematch of the 2024 Euros final. The loser will play on Saturday against Les Bleus in the bronze final.
Throughout the World Cup, DraftKings Network will be highlighting several of the tournament’s marquee matchups, breaking down every goal and major moment. Here’s how the second semifinal played out:
England vs. Argentina odds
England is a +165 favorite to win in regular time (-130 to advance to the final) at DraftKings Sportsbook, and Argentina is +205 (+105 to advance). There are +185 odds that the match will require extra time to decide.
Tracking England vs. Argentina
Follow along as DKNetwork tracks the semifinal match between England and Argentina! This section will be updated.
FT: AND THAT IS OFFICIAL! THE WORLD CUP FINAL IS SET. ARGENTINA AND SPAIN WILL FACE OFF TO BECOME WORLD CHAMPION! LIONEL MESSI COULD CAP HIS LEGACY IN A WAY ONLY MESSI CAN! IT’LL BE THE FIRST-EVER WORLD CUP FINAL BETWEEN THE EURO AND COPA AMÉRICA WINNERS, THE FINALISSMA THAT NEVER HAPPENED! ENGLAND WILL PLAY FRANCE IN THE BRONZE FINAL ON SATURDAY! WHAT A MATCH, WHAT A TOURNAMENT, WHAT A SPORT!
90’+6: AND NOW TUCHEL IS PUTTING ON TWO ATTACKERS! DJED SPENCE AND JOHN STONES ARE OFF, AND MARCUS RASHFORD AND IVAN TONEY ARE ON! TONEY IS MAKING HIS TOURNAMENT DEBUT!
90’+2: ARGENTINA HAS THE LEAD! MESSI ASSISTED LAUTARO MARTÍNEZ WITH A CROSS, AND HE HEADED IT IN FROM CLOSE RANGE! THE ALBICELESTE, AS THINGS STAND, ARE HEADED BACK TO THE WORLD CUP FINAL! WHAT A GAME THIS IS, AND WHAT A TEAM THIS IS! HEARTBREAK FOR THE THREE LIONS! EZRI KONSA AND JOHN STONES LOST HIM!
90’+1: NINE more minutes of stoppage time for one team to find a winner. Will it happen for either side? For now, Tuchel is not making any subs.
89′: The dust has settled on everything now, and it’s Argentina with -125 odds of advancing and England at -105, with this game almost certainly destined for extra time. Thomas Tuchel has two subs remaining to potentially get some attackers on the pitch, while Lionel Scaloni can’t get an extra defender on until the start of extra time at the earliest.
85′: WAS THERE EVER A DOUBT? ENZO HIT IT FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX AND TIED THIS GAME!!! PICKFORD COULDN’T GET TO THAT ONE! FERNÁNDEZ FINESSED IT INTO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE NET, AND THE ALBICELESTE HAVE LIFE! WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE SHOT, CURLING ACROSS PICKFORD’S BODY! AND OF COURSE, IT’S LIONEL MESSI WITH THE ASSIST TO TIE KYLIAN MBAPPÉ ATOP THE GOLDEN BOOT RACE!
84′: Messi just swung one in from outside the box. Not sure if that was a pass or a shot, but whatever it was, it went wide of the far post and never seriously threatened the goal. There have been eight Three Lions defenders in the box pretty much every time Argentina has had the ball.
82′: Another two defensive-oriented changes for England, with Nico O’Reilly and big Dan Burn coming on for Declan Rice and Reece James.
81′: Lautaro Martínez is now on for Nicolás Tagliafico, as the Albiceleste are going into all-out attack mode! All-out attack against all-out defense!
77′: Messi just delivered another beautiful ball towards the far post, and González couldn’t get his header on target, flicking it across the goal and wide!
76′: AND NOW MAC ALLISTER HEADED IT RIGHT AT PICKFORD FOR ANOTHER SAVE!
76′: ARGENTINA SHOULD’VE TIED IT RIGHT THERE! ALEXIS MAC ALLISTER HEADED IT INTO THE POST!
72′: Major changes for both teams: England is bringing on Ezri Konsa for the goalscorer Anthony Gordon, hoping to shift to a more defensive look, and Lisandro Martínez, Nahuel Molina, and Giuliano Simeone are off for Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolás Otamendi, and Rodrigo De Paul. Can Argentina find the answer it needs?
69′: SPECIAL SAVE, JORDAN PICKFORD! MESSI SENT IN A TREMENDOUS CROSS FROM THE RIGHT WING, AND NICO GONZÁLEZ’S HEADER WAS DENIED! Time for the hydration break now, with the Three Lions -450 to advance to the final! Does Messi have one more moment of magic in him?
67′: Well, that can’t happen if it wants to come home. England let Messi get too much space in the center of the pitch, and he took advantage of it to find Nico González and earn a corner for Argentina.
65′: And now Lionel Scaloni has made his first change of the match, putting Nicolas González on for Leandro Paredes.
64′: The Albiceleste have had plenty of the ball since England’s goal, but the Three Lions have shifted into a compact formation, and everything is hard to come by.
60′: Look at this incredible defending by England! Simeone won the ball back deep in Three Lions territory and centered it to Messi, who wouldn’t even get a shot away through traffic. They stopped Lionel Messi from shooting!
58′: AND NOW DJED SPENCE JUST SAVED A GUARANTEED GOAL WITH A GUTSY SLIDE TACKLE ON GIULIANO SIMEONE INSIDE THE PENALTY AREA! SIMEONE TIMED HIS RUN PERFECTLY, AND SPENCE TIMED HIS TACKLE BETTER!
55′: AND ENGLAND HAS BROKEN THE DEADLOCK! ANTHONY GORDON HAS HIS FIRST WORLD CUP GOAL AFTER A BEAUTIFUL CROSS TO THE FAR POST FROM THE RIGHT FLANK BY MORGAN ROGERS! NAHUEL MOLINA DIDN’T SEE HIM! ENGLAND HAS ONE FOOT IN THE WORLD CUP FINAL!
54′: And now the Albiceleste have been putting pressure on Jordan Pickford for most of the last few minutes! What a game of swings this is!
51′: And now England has its first sustained chance of the second half! Both Djed Spence and Morgan Rogers tried crosses, but only Argentinian defenders were on the other end.
47′: JULIÁN ÁLVAREZ ALMOST SCORED TWICE! JORDAN PICKFORD MADE A SAVE NEAR HIS NEAR POST! WHAT A GREAT START TO THE SECOND HALF FOR ARGENTINA!
46′: We’re back for the second half! Neither manager has made a change yet! Will the second half be just as physical as the first half? Will there be a goal?
HT: And that’ll do it for a slow, scrappy first half in Atlanta! England has been the better team so far, but there have been just three shots worth 0.08 combined expected goals so far! The odds remain virtually unchanged, but there are now +130 odds that this game will end up in extra time, which is now the single most likely outcome!
44′: Marc Guéhi did a good job to win a throw after another through ball to Simeone. Although it hasn’t amounted to anything yet, Simeone has at least been aggressive about getting into attacking positions. Lionel Scaloni’s decision to start him is bearing some fruit, so far.
42′: Another yellow now, this time for Lisandro Martínez, after a foul on Morgan Rogers.
38′: Woah, Enzo almost scored from way outside the box! Messi fired from about 30 yards, and it was blocked right to Fernández, who fired just over the crossbar! The tempo of this match is certainly picking up!
37′: And finally, we have a yellow card! Elliott Anderson was the recipient after he brought down Lionel Messi at the end of a tremendous solo run. He deked Djed Spence and Harry Kane, and Anderson had seen enough.
35′: What an excellent sequence there by Djed Spence! He made a nice pass to Anthony Gordon and then won back the ball from Giuliano Simeone after a press! Now, the Three Lions have a free kick from near the left corner of the 18-yard box!
33′: FINALLY, A SHOT! JOHN STONES ROSE THE HIGHEST AT THE FAR POST OFF OF DECLAN RICE’S FREE KICK AND MISSED WIDE! THE ICE HAS BEEN BROKEN!
32′: Free kick in a pretty decent position now for England after Jude Bellingham navigated his way through traffic and drew a foul on Enzo Fernández! It might be a little bit too far for the first shot of the game, but it’s a good sign that Bellingham is getting more involved in the attack.
25′: Aaaaaand nothing came of it, thanks to a foul on Simeone. At the hydration break, neither team has attempted a shot, and the odds have hardly changed at all. Currently, England is -135 to make the final and Argentina is +100.
24′: Argentina has now won its first corner of the match, after Giuliano Simeone managed to force a deflected cross beyond the touch line. The Albiceleste have been pretty good from corners…
20′: There was at least a touch in the box for England, something that’s been a rare sight for either team! Reece James made an overlapping run and fired a cross in, but Emiliano Martínez was well aware, and it he was able to corral it with a dive before it could reach its target.
16′: Huge tackle there by Leandro Paredes to ward off a potential counter-attack by Jude Bellingham before it properly started.
14′: Messi attempted a Trivela through ball to Giuliano Simeone, who entered the starting lineup for Rodrigo De Paul prior to this match, but Simeone was caught offside. A nice ball there by Messi.
10′: Somehow, there have already been seven fouls in 10 minutes!
7′: Finally, a corner! England won it after Morgan Rogers’ cross was deflected beyond the touchline. I expect the Three Lions to try plenty of crosses, testing Argentina’s wing-backs.
4′: We’re four minutes in, and there’s been very little actual action, as Enzo Fernández brought down Elliott Anderson roughly in the middle of the field, leading to some tussling. Expect a scrappy, physical game.
3′: How about this press from the Three Lions? Thomas Tuchel is playing no games early on!
1′: AND WE’RE OFF IN THE THIRD-TO-LAST GAME OF THE 2026 WORLD CUP! WHAT A GAME THIS PROJECTS TO BE! WILL IT BE ARGENTINA GOING TO ITS SECOND STRAIGHT WORLD CUP FINAL OR ENGLAND REACHING ITS FIRST SINCE 1966? The Albiceleste start with possession!
Additional World Cup Coverage
For additional World Cup coverage from the DraftKings Network, check out the World Cup landing page here:
- How to Watch Today’s 2026 World Cup Games: TV, Streaming Info and Odds for Wednesday, July 15
- World Cup 2026: Argentina vs. England Lineups, Odds
- World Cup Best Bets Today: Top Expert Betting Picks for England vs. Argentina on Wednesday 7/15/26
- England vs. Argentina prediction, pick for Wednesday 7/15/26
NOTE: Prop bet rulings are subject to official scoring and could change after the match.