Argentina replicates 36-year-old feat

Argentina’s national team joined a historic list after qualifying for the 2026 World Cup final with a 2-1 victory over England in yesterday’s Wednesday semi-final.

The list also includes Italy in the 1934 and 1938 World Cups, Brazil in 1958 and 1962, Argentina in 1986 and 1990, Brazil in 1994 and 1998, and France in 2018 and 2022.

For its part, Squawka network noted in a statistical report that Argentina has become the team with the most semi-final wins in World Cup history.

It pointed out that the Albiceleste defeated the United States 6-1 in the 1930 World Cup semi-final, beat Belgium 2-0 in 1986, and won on penalties against Italy in 1990 and the Netherlands in 2014. They also overcame Croatia 3-0 in the 2022 semi-final, and most recently defeated England 2-1.

By reaching the 2026 World Cup final, Argentina has surpassed England for the third time in their direct World Cup encounters, following their 2-1 victory in 1986 and their penalty shootout win in the 1998 knockout stage.