The Latest: Messi rallies Argentina in 2-1 win over England in World Cup semifinal

Defending champion Argentina rallied to beat England 2-1 on Wednesday and reach the World Cup final.

Trailing 1-0 going into the last five minutes of regulation time, Enzo Fernandez and substitute Lautaro Martinez scored for Argentina.

Anthony Gordon had given England the lead, but Lionel Messi and Co. had other ideas.

Argentina pushed for an equalizer and the pressure eventually led to Fernandez scoring in the 85th minute. Martinez headed in the winner two minutes into injury time.

Argentina will play Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

After their loss, England players migrated closer to their fans as they gave supporters some light applause, while still appearing to be in disbelief. Then they slowly walked back to the locker room but had to pass right in front of the Argentine crowd, which roundly jeered them off the field.

England wanted to protect its late 1-0 lead and coach Thomas Tuchel made lineup changes to build a wall in front of the goal.

Argentina and Lionel Messi kicked it down.

England swapped defender Reece James for Dan Burn and midfielder Declan Rice for defender Nico O’Reilly in the 82nd minute.

Three minutes later, Enzo Fernández struck from outside the penalty area for Argentina’s first goal. And late substitute Lautaro Martínez sealed the win with a close-range header when England defenders lost him on a cross from Messi.

Argentina superstar Lionel Messi pulled in England captain Harry Kane and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford for handshakes and hugs on the pitch after Argentina’s 2-1 victory.

Argentina players — many with their shirts off — jumped and sang in front of their fans after their win over England in the World Cup semifinals.

England players stood in shock in the middle of the field. A sizable chunk of their fans left immediately when the match ended.

Lionel Messi and Argentina have advanced to the World Cup final with a 2-1 victory over England in Atlanta. Argentina will meet Spain on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as it seeks its second straight World Cup title.

Lionel Messi assisted on both of Argentina’s late goals, his third and fourth assists of the World Cup. That puts him ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé in the race for Golden Boot.

The award goes to the tournament’s top scorer. Messi and Mbappé each have eight goals, with assists as the first tiebreaker.

Lionel Messi delivered another perfect pass to the goal that may have put a late dagger in England. Messi gathered the ball on the right side, took a couple of touches, then delivered a perfect cross across the goal for Lautaro Martinez’s powerful close range header. Martinez had subbed into the game just a few minutes earlier.

Lautaro Martínez scores in the second minute of second-half stoppage time to give Argentina the lead.

Shortly before the tying goal by Argentina’s Enzo Fernández, Argentina made its last substitution as forward Lautaro Martínez came on for defender Nicolás Tagliafico in the 81st minute. England also made changes, swapping defender Reece James for Dan Burn, and Declan Rice for Nico O’Reilly.

Messi took the ball wide on the right side after a quick corner kick. He worked his way toward the penalty box before passing to Enzo Fernandez, who unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot that beat England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford as it bent toward upper right corner.

Argentina’s Enzo Fernández scores in the 85th minute.

England has subbed out goal scorer Anthony Gordon for Ezri Konsa.

Argentina has subbed Gonzalo Montiel for Nahuel Molina, Nicolas Otamendi for Lisandro Martínez, and Rodrigo De Paul for Giuliano Simeone.

England seized control with Anthony Gordon’s goal but Argentina is pressing hard to match it.

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made a diving save to his right to deny Argentina’s Nico Gonzalez on a header just before the hydration break.

Argentina sent Leandro Paredes to the bench in the 64th minute. He was replaced by Nico González as Argentina chases a goal after falling behind 1-0.

The score came on a cross from Morgan Rogers across the mouth of the goal, and Anthony Gordon got his right foot on the ball to knock it past Argentina goal keeper Emiliano Martinez. The play started with a quick flick to the wing from Declan Rice.

Anthony Gordon scores in the 55th minute.

The first half was scoreless but not without some rough action. The teams combined for 19 fouls, two yellow cards and no shots on goal.

The Atlanta-raised hip-hop star treated fans to a DJ set during halftime, starting with his song “Welcome to Atlanta.” From there, fans heard other classics, including Usher’s “Yeah!,” and T.I.’s “Bring Em Out.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrived shortly before kickoff to a World Cup watch party at the city’s Rikers Island jail.

His dark suit jacket was off and his white dress shirt sleeves were rolled up.

Mamdani took a seat at a table and immediately started chatting about the tournament.

One of the inmates told others at the table that he expected Argentina to prevail over England and go onto face Spain, which beat France on Tuesday.

“You never know,” said Mamdani, a professed Morocco fan.

Another inmate said he was going home later today. “That’s amazing,” the mayor said.

At about the 20-minute mark of the game, Mamdani headed out.

There has been little in the way of action near the goal, but the bodies have been flying in a rugged match fueled by a tense historic rivalry.

The teams have combined for 19 fouls, two yellow cards and no shots on goal. Referee Ismail Elfath held up play briefly after just a few minutes in an effort to calm things down.

It didn’t seem to help much as the physical style by both teams continued.

Argentina’s star striker Lionel Messi has struggled to create goal chances. It’s been the same for England and striker Harry Kane, who has yet to make much of an impact.

The teams will have to decide whether to sit the players who received the yellow cards for the second half or risk another one and an automatic ejection. They are England’s Elliot Anderson and Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez.

This one goes to Argentina, earned by Lisandro Martínez in the 42nd minute for holding up a potential England counterattack.

This rough match now has more yellow cards (two) than shots on goal (zero).

The first yellow card of a rugged match has been issued to England’s Elliot Anderson for a hard tackle on Lionel Messi in the 38th minute.

The play stopped a dangerous Argentina attack. The teams had been whistled for 16 fouls at that point.

Lines inside stadiums to buy World Cup merchandise have been outrageous throughout the tournament.

Wednesday’s semifinal between England and Argentina was no exception, with hundreds in line before the match started. Scarves are a particularly hot commodity.

Curious to see what the lines were like while the match was ongoing, an Associated Press reporter visited a FIFA store around the 20th minute and found more than a dozen people in line to buy items including $45 scarves and $48 T-shirts.

Referee Ismail Elfath has perhaps been working the hardest trying to keep control of a physical and emotional match.

Neither team has created much in the way of goal chances, but players have been hitting the ground after hard fouls and hard play. Those include stars Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham.

England and Argentina wasted no time raising the temperature of their semifinal with tough, physical play.

Several players had to be separated after a hard foul by Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez on England midfielder Elliot Anderson. The fouls kept coming and referee Ismail Elfath had to stop play briefly in an effort to calm things down.

Regardless of the opponent, Argentina fans often enjoy chanting “Whoever doesn’t jump is English.” So, for obvious reasons, they’ve been singing it a lot as a dig at England fans.

The full chant is “Y ya lo ve, y ya lo ve, el que no salta es un inglés” – meaning: “And you can see it, and you can see it: whoever doesn’t jump is English.”

The melody comes from a catchy 1970s tune by the Argentine duo Juan & Juan.

Lionel Messi leads Argentina’s pursuit of a second consecutive World Cup title. His eight goals are tied for the most in this tournament.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham lead England as the Three Lions seek their first World Cup title since 1966. Each has scored six goals so far.

The intercontinental rivalry carries a lot of history, most notably Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal against England in 1986.

The winner advances to Sunday’s final against Spain, which beat France 2-0 on Tuesday.

The loser plays France on Saturday for third place.

More than 100 inmates at the sprawling Rikers Island correctional facility gathered in a gymnasium at the complex’s main intake center to watch Wednesday’s semifinal between England and Argentina.

Arriving inmates dressed in tan uniforms took seats at black cloth tables facing a projection screen showing the game.

Colorful balloon towers topped by soccer ball balloons framed the screen. The special event is for inmates who have shown good behavior, including being incident-free at least for 30 days.

The jail has been hosting watch parties since the World Cup kicked off last month.

There have been 90 such events, with about 4,500 of the roughly 6,600 inmates participating.

David Beckham, the former England captain who could “bend” a ball like no other is at the match in with his wife, Victoria.

Beckham owns a notorious piece of the Argentina-England rivalry history. He was sent off in the second half of a 1998 World Cup elimination match after kicking out at Argentina midfielder Diego Simeone. That left England short-handed and Beckham shouldered a lot of blame when Argentina ultimately won on penalty kicks.

Beckham got a measure of revenge four years later by scoring a penalty in a 1-0 win that contributed to Argentina being eliminated from the group stage.

England: Jordan Pickford, Reece James, John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Djed Spence, Morgan Rogers, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Anthony Gordon, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane

Argentina: Emiliano Martínez, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Tagliafico, Giuliano Simeone, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Lionel Messi, Julián Alvarez

England coach Thomas Tuchel has selected Morgan Rogers to start in place of Noni Madueke on the right wing. Defenders Reece James and Djed Spence also will start, replacing Ezri Konsa and Nico O’Reilly.

For Argentina, coach Lionel Scaloni picked Gio Simeone in midfield over Rodrigo De Paul.

Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia posted a photo on Instagram of himself sitting next to Argentina stars Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul.

Tapia is under investigation over his assets and the organization’s financial management. He received judicial authorization to travel to the World Cup despite the ongoing probes.

“Here we go again, with hope as our guiding principle, representing an entire nation. More united than ever,” Tapia wrote.

Argentine Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva has said fans won’t be able to carry some of their flags and banners that incorporate images of the Falkland Islands into the World Cup semifinal match between Argentina and England.

Monteoliva cited FIFA’s code of conduct, which bans politically divisive content. But her comments led to a social media backlash in Buenos Aires.

England reasserted control of the Falklands in a 1982 war with Argentina. Argentines claim the British protectorate as the Malvinas and consider the South Atlantic islands essential to their national identity.

FIFA’s code of conduct also says fans cannot “curse or chant in a political, offensive and/or discriminatory manner.”

But Britain’s top representative in Atlanta has said she expects Argentines to continue with their chants that reference the Malvinas along with soccer greats Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. Consul General Rachel Galloway told Atlanta First News that although fans might sing about those issues, “we find a way to work together.”

Wildfires in Canada forced officials to call off Wednesday’s planned FIFA Fan Festival in Toronto. Thousands of people were expected to be there to watch the England-Argentina match.

“The health and safety of attendees, staff, volunteers, and emergency personnel remains our top priority,” organizers said.

More than 100 wildfires were burning in Canada on Wednesday, with wind pushing smoke southeast. Warnings about unhealthy air extended from Minnesota through Toronto and into New York.

The World Cup final will be in East Rutherford, New Jersey — just outside of New York City — on Sunday.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has tried to play down his country’s clash with England as nothing more than a soccer game.

But some Argentine politicians have not been shy about bringing up longstanding tensions between the countries.

Argentine Vice President Victoria Villarruel described the match as a fight against “usurping pirates.” That’s a reference to England’s control of the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas.

Villarruel shared a photo of an Argentine jersey draped over the grave of a soldier killed in the deadly 10-week Falklands War of 1982. She also made references to Argentine greats Diego Maradona, who led a World Cup quarterfinal victory over England in 1986, and Lionel Messi.

“This isn’t just another match. … It’s the Malvinas, it’s Diego, it’s Leo’s last one, and it’s putting the brakes on the invaders,” she said.

Kylian Mbappé, one of the biggest stars of this year’s World Cup and one of the game’s greatest scorers, just couldn’t generate many chances in France’s 2-0 loss to Spain in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Through Tuesday, Mbappé and Lionel Messi remain tied atop the leaderboard with eight goals each. Mbappé, who won the Golden Boot at the last World Cup four years ago in Qatar, holds the first tiebreaker with the edge in assists. Messi has a chance to pull ahead in the race on Wednesday as Argentina faces England.

Both players will then have one more match before the award is decided. France will play the loser of the other semifinal match in the third-place game on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida. Spain will take on the winner in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the final.

It’s England vs. Argentina in the World Cup semifinals. It’s also Lionel Messi vs. Jude Bellingham.

The battle of the two No. 10s could be pivotal to deciding Wednesday’s match in Atlanta.

“We know how good Messi is,” England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford said of the Argentina great, whose enduring brilliance has been on show again even at the age of 39.

Messi and Bellingham have been inspirational in their teams’ respective runs to the final four. And Wednesday’s match may well be determined by which one has the biggest say on the day.

He is already considered by many to be the greatest of all time — the GOAT — and his performances at what is likely his last World Cup, aged 39, have only strengthened that argument. This will be Lionel Messi’s first ever game against England.

If Messi can lead Argentina to the title, he would surpass the great Maradona by winning two World Cups for his country.

Argentina would also become the first back-to-back champion since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

Soccer great Pelé was part of those Brazil teams and also went on to win a third World Cup in 1970.

Spain’s defensive prowess and swagger were just too much for an attacking trio led by France great Kylian Mbappé, and just enough to get the 2010 champions into another World Cup final.

The Spanish team managed a record sixth shutout in seven games so far, winning 2-0 in the semifinals Tuesday against one of the most prolific scorers in World Cup history.

Spain will face the winner of Argentina-England on Sunday at New York New Jersey stadium.

Argentina and England have plenty of beef on and off the soccer field coming into today’s World Cup semifinal game in Atlanta.

The off-the-field tensions go back to the 1982 conflict over the Falkland Islands while the soccer rivalry also has been intense for decades.

Argentina captain Antonio Rattin, whose death was announced on Saturday, was sent off in a bad-tempered quarterfinal match against winner England in 1966. England manager Alf Ramsey tried to stop his players from swapping shirts with their opponents after a 1-0 victory.

Twenty years later in 1986 Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” goal helped Argentina to a 2-1 win against England in the quarterfinals on the way to lifting the trophy.

David Beckham was sent off in 1998 for kicking out at Argentina midfielder Diego Simeone, who was predictably criticized by the English media for his reaction to what appeared to be light contact. Argentina won the round of 16 match on penalties.

Beckham got his revenge four years later by scoring a penalty in a 1-0 win that contributed to Argentina being eliminated at the group stage.

Today’s Argentina-England matchup in Atlanta will be at 3 p.m. EDT and available in English on Fox or FS1.

For those who prefer the Spanish broadcast — Telemundo has been a very popular option.

The World Cup’s viewership in the U.S. has been strong throughout the tournament.

Fox reported more than 21.7 million tuned in to watch England’s 3-2 victory in Mexico City on July 5. That topped the previous record of the final between Argentina and France in 2022, which was seen by 16.7 million.

Every match of the tournament has been available for U.S. viewers in English on Fox or FS1, on Telemundo or Universo in Spanish. Streaming options include Fox One and Peacock.

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (1) looks back as Argentina's Enzo Fernandez (24) scores their first goal during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

England's Harry Kane (9) reacts after the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after teammate Lautaro Martinez scored their side's second goal during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (1) fails to stop a shot by Argentina's Enzo Fernandez (24) as he scores his side's first goal during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Argentina's Enzo Fernandez celebrates with Lionel Messi, right, after scoring his side's first goal during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Players argue during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Argentina's Nahuel Molina (26) challenges for the ball with England's Anthony Gordon (18) during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Argentina's Lionel Messi walks to take a corner kick during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

England's Anthony Gordon (18) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

England's Jude Bellingham and Jordan Henderson, left, walk on to the pitch for the warmup before the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) warms up before the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

England supporters fill the stands before the start of the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Canada are negotiating in an effort to reach a truce on tariffs before a 12:01 a.m. Wednesday deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump.

If no deal is reached, Trump has threatened to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors.

″We are negotiating,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Monday, speaking in French. “The negotiations are very intense and delicate. This is not the time to talk about negotiations in public.”

Carney and Trump spoke by phone Monday afternoon about the ongoing trade negotiations, Carney's office said, underscoring the last-minute push to reach a deal before Wednesday’s deadline.

The two countries have wrangled for decades over trade, poking each other over sore spots like Canadian softwood lumber imports and U.S. access to Canada’s protected dairy market.

Somehow they still managed to remain friends, allies and trading partners. Canadian soldiers fought alongside Americans in Afghanistan after 9/11. The 5,525-mile U.S.-Canada border is undefended, and nearly 330,000 people and $2 billion worth of goods cross it every day; 800,000 Canadians live in the United States.

Trump’s belligerent approach to dealing with Canada marks an extraordinary departure from the traditionally cooperative relationship between the two countries. Trump has hit Canadian goods with tariffs — in a push to bring manufacturing back to the United States — and has repeatedly made inflammatory comments about turning Canada into America’s 51st state.

The Canadian public is fed up. A petition to expel the U.S. ambassador, a Trump ally, has collected nearly 218,000 signatures since July 21. It accuses Ambassador Pete Hoekstra of having “normalized’’ Trump’s talk of annexing Canada, among other things.

Nearly 72% of Canada's goods exports last year went to the United States. And the Trump administration might be wary of imposing a hefty new tariff — paid by U.S. importers who try to pass along the cost to consumers via higher prices — ahead of November’s midterm elections. American voters are already frustrated with the high cost of living.

“I don’t think either side really wants these tariffs to come into effect,’’ said Ryan Majerus, a partner at King & Spalding and a former U.S. trade official. “There’s a pretty strong push on both sides to find an off ramp here.’’

Majerus said the United States is aiming to get Canada to buy more U.S. military equipment, including F-35 fighters; to take part in Trump’s “Golden Dome’’ missile defense; and to give the United States more access to critical minerals, thereby reducing America’s reliance on tenuous supplies from its geopolitical rival, China.

The Canadians would like relief from U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as softwood lumber, which America says receives unfair government subsidies.

Trump has made tariffs the centerpiece of his second-term economic agenda. Last year, he imposed double-digit import taxes on almost every country on earth, justifying them by declaring the longstanding U.S. trade deficit a national emergency. The Supreme Court in February ruled that he’d overstepped his authority, striking down those tariffs and setting the stage for the federal government to pay refunds to importers.

Trump immediately looked for other ways to rebuild his tariff wall. Last month, he imposed import taxes of 10% to 12.5% on 59 countries and the European Union — which together account for 99% of U.S. imports — for allegedly failing to have or to enforce restrictions on imports made from forced labor.

Then he reached back to the Great Depression to find a cudgel with which to whack Canada, one of his favorite targets.

Trump invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose 50% tariffs on products that account for about 5% of Canadian exports to the United States.

Nearly a century ago, with the U.S. and world economies in collapse, Congress passed the 1930 tariff law, imposing hefty taxes on imports from around the world. Known as the Smoot-Hawley tariffs, named for their congressional sponsors, they are notorious among economists and historians for limiting world commerce and making the Great Depression worse.

Section 338 tariffs have never been used before. U.S. trade negotiators traditionally have favored another tool, Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 — the provision Trump invoked to impose last month’s forced-labor tariffs.

Section 338 authorizes the president to impose tariffs of up to 50% on imports from countries that have discriminated against U.S. businesses. Unlike Section 301 sanctions, no investigation is required. Nor is there any limit on how long the tariffs can stay in place.

In announcing the Section 338 tariffs, Trump claimed that Canada discriminates against American exports of autos, alcohol and cheese. Trump is angry because Canada and China were the only countries that punched back with retaliatory tariffs of their own when he slapped levies on their products last year.

“If a country retaliates against us, we’re obviously not going to tolerate that,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters Friday at the Iowa State Fair. “We’ll take action. My sense is the Canadians, they want to have a more conciliatory approach, but we’ll see.”

The U.S. is renegotiating a North American trade pact — the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement — that Trump strong-armed America’s neighbors into accepting in his first term. The threat of Section 338 tariffs gives the United States leverage to seek fresh concessions from Ottawa.

“From Carney's perspective, you need (USMCA) to be renegotiated," said Christopher Gundermann, a fellow in the economics program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "You can't renegotiate it with a massive trade war going on.''

But the Canadian public’s furor over Trump’s policies may limit Carney’s ability to cut a deal. Canada could retaliate again if the new 50% tariffs take effect, potentially aggravating a trade fight.

Canada’s government “cannot look like it is simply caving to the Trump administration’s demands,’’ said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. “Making further concessions without getting something meaningful in exchange would probably lead to a strong backlash ... The risk is for the Carney government to make Canada look weak and, therefore, even more vulnerable to future trade and geopolitical bullying on the part of the Trump administration.”

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister for U.S. trade, met with Greer on Monday. He was tight-lipped afterward.

“The work is continuing,’’ he said. “We continue to do our job.’’

Gillies reported from Toronto.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc makes brief comments to reporters outside the U.S. Department of Commerce following a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in Washington, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (Kelly Geraldine Malone/The Canadian Press via AP)

United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, center, leaves the U.S. Department of Commerce following a meeting with Canadian officials, in Washington, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (Kelly Geraldine Malone/The Canadian Press via AP)