Argentina's route to the 2026 World Cup final

• Argentina 3-0 Algeria

• Argentina 2-0 Austria

• Jordan 1-3 Argentina

Argentina kicked off their World Cup defence in real style with a 3-0 win over Algeria, and it was Lionel Messi (of course) who stole the show, scoring a hat-trick to jump straight to the top of the goalscoring charts.

That win was followed up by a 2-0 victory over Austria, where Messi once again scored both goals to guide his country to victory - becoming the all-time top scorer in World Cup history in the process.

Lionel Scaloni's men wrapped up the perfect group stage with a routine 3-1 win over Jordan, as goals by Giovani Lo Celso, Lautaro Martinez, and Messi saw Argentina through to the knockouts with very little fuss.

• Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde (aet)

The reigning world champions featured in one of the games of the tournament when they took on Cape Verde in the Round of 32, ultimately running out 3-2 winners after being pegged back twice - including once in extra-time.

Messi opened the scoring before Deroy Duarte's strike mid-way through the second half ensured we were treated to another half an hour - which certainly delivered. Lisandro Martinez scored early in extra-time, before a goal-of-the-tournament contender from Sidny Lopes Cabral shocked the world, but Argentina quickly restored their lead through an unfortunate own goal, and 3-2 is how it finished.

• Argentina 3-2 Egypt

Next up for Argentina was a meeting with Egypt in the RO16, and it was another goal-fest that eventually saw Messi and Co emerge on the right side of a 3-2 scoreline, but it definitely wasn't without its drama.

A Yasser Ibrahim header gave Egypt a shock lead after 15 minutes, which is how it stayed until the hour mark when Ziko doubled the Pharaohs' lead - but it was ruled out controversially for a foul in the build-up. Not to be deterred, however, Ziko did then score 10 minutes later to put Argentina on the brink - but up stepped Lionel Messi.

The skipper put in a delightful cross which was headed home by Cristian Romero in the 79th minute, before finding the net himself in the 83rd to draw his side level - scoring in a record-breaking ninth consecutive World Cup match. An excellent Enzo Fernandez header in injury-time then broke Egypt hearts and saw La Albiceleste reach the quarter-finals for the fourth time in five tournaments.

• Argentina 3-1 Switzerland (aet)

Another high-scoring affair came in the quarter-finals as Argentina beat 10-man Switzerland 3-1, but they did need extra-time to do so.

Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring after 10 minutes with a nice header, but Dan Ndoye's second-half strike dragged Switzerland back into the game, before Breel Embolo received his marching orders for a second bookable offence. The game ended all square after 90 minutes, and it took until the second half of extra-time for the action to really resume.

A Julian Alvarez wonder-strike gave Argentina the lead with eight minutes left to play, before Lautaro Martinez sealed the win in stoppage-time, setting up a semi-final date with Thomas Tuchel's England.

• England 1-2 Argentina

The semi-final drew up a first competitive meeting with England since 2002, and it was another late show that secured Argentina's place in the World Cup final.

England took the lead through Anthony Gordon after 55 minutes, and it looked as though England were on their way to a first World Cup final since 1966, but as the Three Lions got more and more defensive, Argentina's class started to show.

An Enzo Fernandez strike from 25 yards flew past Jordan Pickford to level the scores in the 85th minute, before an inch-perfect Lionel Messi cross found the head of Lautaro Martinez in injury-time, which was enough to see the reigning champions earn the chance to defend their title on Sunday - and potentially become just the third nation to win back-to-back World Cups.

So that wraps up our look at Argentina's route to the 2026 World Cup final, with seven wins from seven giving them the chance to win consecutive trophies. You can also check out our full match preview ahead of the match, as well as our look at the predicted World Cup final lineups, and a dive into Spain's route through the tournament.

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