Bellingham leads England past the Vikings to face Argentina in the semi-finals

Defending champions Argentina advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, edging out a reduced-side Switzerland 3-1 after extra time (1-1 after regular time) on Tuesday in Kansas City, USA. They will face England, who defeated Norway 2-1 after extra time, on Wednesday in Atlanta.

Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring for Argentina in the 10th minute, and Dan Ndoye equalized for Switzerland in the 67th. Julián Álvarez added a second goal in the 112th minute, and substitute Lautaro Martínez sealed the victory with a third goal in the first minute of stoppage time in extra time (120+1).

Switzerland finished the match with ten players after striker Breel Embolo was sent off with a second yellow card in the 72nd minute, following a first booking in the 44th. Argentina, who have reached the semifinals in three of their last four appearances, maintained their unbeaten record against Switzerland, having not lost in eight meetings (four wins and four draws). Lionel Messi became the player with the most assists in World Cup history, with 10.

In the second half, Switzerland’s superiority resulted in Ndoye’s goal. After exchanging passes with Rodríguez, the Nottingham Forest player penetrated the Argentine zone from the left, then fired a low shot with his right foot that passed between Martínez’s legs (67').

Portuguese referee João Pinheiro sent off Embolo for simulation after consulting the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), issuing a second yellow card (72'). The dynamics shifted dramatically after the red card; Argentina became more active against the numerically disadvantaged Swiss side, but the match ended in a draw after regular time, forcing extra time.

In the first extra-time period, substitute Matías Almada had two chances: one from inside the box saved by Kobel (93'), and another from outside the box that struck the left side netting (95').

In the second extra-time period, Kobel was helpless against Álvarez, who received the ball from the left outside the box and curled a beautiful shot with his right foot into the top right corner (112'). From a counterattack, substitute Martínez ended the contest in the first minute of stoppage time in extra time (120+1').

Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham scored two goals to lead England, the 1966 champions, from behind to beat Norway 2-1 after extra time in two periods on Tuesday in Miami during the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals. The "Three Lions" reached the semifinals for the fourth time in their history.

Norway took the lead through Andreas Schjelderup (36'), but England responded with two goals from Bellingham (45+2' and 93'), raising his tally to six goals in the current edition. This was his second consecutive brace, following his first against Mexico (3-2) in the round of 16. At 23 years and 12 days old, Bellingham became the second-youngest player to score two or more goals in two consecutive knockout matches in World Cup history, after Brazilian legend Pelé in 1958 (17 years and 249 days).

This is the fourth time England has reached the semifinals, having previously done so in 1966 when they won the title, in 1990 when they were eliminated by West Germany on penalties (who later won the tournament), and in 2018 when they lost to Croatia 1-2 after extra time. In both 1990 and 2018, England finished fourth.