Argentina keeps getting knocked down to the mat at the 2026 World Cup. And it keeps getting up, seemingly only getting stronger with every victory.
After another thrilling, dramatic win over England in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday, that is now three straight skin-of-their-teeth knockout victories for the reigning World Cup champions. At this point, Argentina playing through the whistle and making every minute count is the baseline expectation as it tries to become the first repeat men’s World Cup champion in over six decades.
With the World Cup Final against Spain looming on Sunday, let’s get a sense of Argentina’s dramatic journey to the biggest game in sports by ranking its three bonkers knockout wins along the way.
3. Argentina 3-2 over Cape Verde, Round of 32
No one expected a country like Cape Verde, making its first-ever World Cup appearance, to push the reigning World Cup champions to their limits. But that’s exactly what the underdog did in an instant classic Round of 32 match. Despite early Lionel Messi brilliance, Vozinha’s stellar goalkeeping for Cape Verde kept the nation alive long enough to find not one but two equalizers, including this stunning goal in extra time from Sidny Lopes Cabral:
Sidny Lopes Cabral with an ABSOLUTE GOLAZO to bring Cape Verde level with Argentina in extra time 😱
INCREDIBLE SCENES pic.twitter.com/ox1DColGJv
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 4, 2026
It took what became an own goal off of Cape Verde for Argentina to survive and advance to the next round. That is unbelievable to consider in hindsight:
THIS MATCH HAS HAD IT ALL.
Argentina back in front over Cape Verde pic.twitter.com/KI36bfpBqO
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 4, 2026
Four rounds later, it’s still easy to see Cape Verde as one of the stories of this entire tournament.
2. Argentina 2-1 over England, Semifinals
Entering these semifinals, most already considered Argentina and England one of the best rivalries in the history of the men’s World Cup. Almost every time these two countries meet in this tournament, the match turns into an instant classic. The latest chapter unsurprisingly did not disappoint.
After England took a 1-0 lead off a beautiful Anthony Gordon goal early in the second half, the Three Lions tried to “park the bus” and sit back on defense. This was a massive tactical mistake. A relentless Argentina peppered England with high-danger chances while hemming its international rival on its end of the field for almost the entire second half.
It was only a matter of time before Enzo Fernández would launch a rocket of an equalizer in the late stages of the match:
GOOOOAAL! ENZO FERNÁNDEZ DRAWS ARGENTINA LEVEL WITH ENGLAND IN THE SEMIFINALS 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/A84NfiCmWH
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 15, 2026
Then, in stoppage time, the magic man, Lionel Messi, did what he does best. He fired off an impossible pass from a ridiculous angle that gave Lautaro Martínez a game-winning goal for the ages:
MESSI SENDS IT INTO TO LAUTARO MARTÍNEZ AND ARGENTINA TAKES THE LEAD IN STOPPAGE TIME 🇦🇷
WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT?! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/6JqVAiIL9D
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 15, 2026
To say this was a dagger in the collective heart of England would likely be an understatement.
1. Argentina 3-2 over Egypt, Round of 16
Of all of Argentina’s knockout wins to reach the 2026 World Cup Final, it actually came the closest to falling short against Egypt. Through 67 minutes, the Egyptians held what sure felt like a decisive 2-0 lead, even though VAR had screwed them out of another goal. But as the Argentinians have shown us all tournament, they would not go quietly into that good night.
All told, Argentina scored three goals in the final 17 minutes of play to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.
To no one’s surprise, the first two happened thanks to some Messi magic.
There was this perfect pass to Cristian Romero to pull one back for Argentina:
ARGENTINA PULLS ONE BACK 🇦🇷
Messi finds Cristian Romero for Argentina’s first goal! pic.twitter.com/R24PA6AWhL
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 7, 2026
Then, Messi timed a run to open space to bury this ball that drew the two teams level:
MESSI’S 8TH GOAL OF THE TOURNAMENT DRAWS ARGENTINA LEVEL WITH EGYPT 🇦🇷
LIONEL MESSI. THE SAVIOR FOR ARGENTINA! pic.twitter.com/8iOIuSy0Mc
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 7, 2026
Finally, in stoppage time, Fernández nailed the game-winner to officially send Argentina through to the next round:
INCREDIBLE! ARGENTINA TAKES THE LEAD IN STOPPAGE TIME 🇦🇷
After being down 2-0, Enzo Fernández scores to make it 3-2! pic.twitter.com/u1ISEUKK2G
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 7, 2026
At every stage of this World Cup so far, Argentina has shown us it has the heart of a champion. Defeating a juggernaut like Spain in the World Cup Final will be easier said than done. But something tells me that, based on Argentina’s track record to this point, it’s not intimidated by that challenge.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ranking Argentina’s 3 heart-stopping wins (so far) from the 2026 World Cup
