Argentina's road to the 2026 World Cup final ahead of Spain New Jersey battle

Argentina's previous World Cup triumph arrived just four years ago in Qatar, where Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the one trophy that had eluded him.

Standing on the brink of back-to-back titles, Lionel Scaloni's side are aiming to become the first nation to retain the World Cup since Brazil managed the feat in 1962.

Unlike their triumphant run in Qatar four years ago, Argentina's road to the 2026 World Cup final has been far from straightforward, requiring extra time in two of their four knockout matches to keep their hopes of a fourth world title alive.

The three-time World champions' qualifying campaign gave little hint of the drama to come, with La Albiceleste topping CONMEBOL and becoming the first South American side to book their place in North America.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at Argentina's route to the World Cup final.

Argentina's road to the 2026 World Cup final: Group stage statement

Group J was never expected to trouble the defending champions, and Argentina duly delivered a near-flawless statement of intent.

Scaloni's side opened with a routine 3-0 win over Algeria, with Messi marking the occasion with a hat-trick that made him the oldest player in men's World Cup history to score three goals in a match, surpassing the record previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo.

A comfortable 2-0 victory over Austria followed before Argentina wrapped up the group stage with a 3-1 win over Jordan to complete a perfect record.

Messi came off the bench to score in that matchday three fixture, meaning the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner found the net in all three group matches, serving notice that Father Time was going to have to wait a little longer.

Nine points from nine secured top spot in the group and set up a Round of 32 tie that would prove far more testing than anyone anticipated.

Argentina's road to the 2026 World Cup final: Cape Verde scare

Few gave debutants Cape Verde a prayer against the reigning champions, but the Blue Sharks came within a whisker of the greatest shock in World Cup history.

Messi opened the scoring in the first half, only for Deroy Duarte to drag the African nation level after the interval, and that 1-1 scoreline held all the way to full time.

Extra time brought no let-up in the drama, with Lisandro Martinez restoring Argentina's lead with a near-post strike inside the opening two minutes of the post-regulation period.

Sidny Lopes Cabral's exquisite curler then levelled it again at 2-2, a goal good enough to stand as one of the strikes of the tournament.

Argentina's superior quality eventually told deep into the second period of extra time, as Cristian Romero headed home a Messi corner in the 111th minute that deflected in off Cape Verde's Diney Borges to settle the contest.

That 3-2 win came at the cost of any margin for error, with Argentina needing every ounce of their pedigree to survive a full-blooded examination from World Cup newcomers.

Argentina's road to the 2026 World Cup final: Egypt turnaround for the ages

The Round of 16 clash with Egypt in Atlanta looked destined to end Argentina's title defence, and for long periods it very nearly did.

Yasser Ibrahim's early header put the Pharaohs in front, and Messi then saw a first-half penalty saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.

Egypt thought they had doubled their lead moments before the hour mark through Mostafa Zico, only for the goal to be chalked off after a VAR review spotted a foul on Lisandro Martinez in the build-up, with the decision sparking plenty of debate given how far the challenge occurred from goal.

The reprieve proved only temporary, as Zico made the breakthrough count for real minutes later, sweeping home from a rapid Egypt counter-attack to make it 2-0, leaving Argentina staring down the barrel of a stunning elimination.

However, La Albiceleste turned the game on its own head with a late surge, as Romero headed in from a Messi cross in the 79th minute, before the Argentine captain himself levelled four minutes later with a first-time finish.

Enzo Fernandez completed one of the great World Cup comebacks with a header deep into stoppage time, sealing a remarkable 3-2 victory and a place in the quarter-finals.

Argentina's road to the 2026 World Cup final: Switzerland edged after Breel Embolo controversy

Kansas City played host to another slice of drama as Argentina faced a resolute Switzerland side in the quarter-finals.

Alexis Mac Allister headed the holders into an early lead from a Messi corner, but Dan Ndoye levelled for the Swiss in the 67th minute, setting up a tense finale that turned on a contentious VAR intervention.

Breel Embolo was controversially sent off for simulation after a review overturned a yellow card originally shown to Leandro Paredes, leaving Switzerland to play the closing stages with 10 men.

Argentina made their numerical advantage count in extra time, with Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez both finding the net to seal a 3-1 win.

Argentina's road to the 2026 World Cup final: Late show against England

An intriguing semi-final clash against England in Atlanta pitted two sides with plenty of history and scores to settle.

La Albiceleste had triumphed in their previous two knockout meetings with the Three Lions, both of which came with their own controversy - Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal helping inspire a 2-1 win in the 1986 quarter-finals and David Beckham's sending off in their round of 16 meeting in 1998, when the South Americans prevailed on penalties.

As expected, this year's semi-final started on a feisty note, with a combined 19 fouls recorded and not a single shot registered by either side in the entire first half, though there was far more football on show after the interval.

Argentina refused to bow out quietly, and Fernandez dragged them level in the 85th minute to set up a grandstand finish.

Deep into stoppage time, Messi picked out Lautaro Martinez with a pinpoint cross, and the striker headed home to complete a 2-1 comeback victory.

Messi did not get on the scoresheet himself, but his two assists put a stamp on his credentials as arguably the greatest player the World Cup has ever seen and took his tally to four assists for the tournament, second only to France's Michael Olise, who leads the way with five.

The Argentine captain also jointly leads the 2026 World Cup goal-scoring charts with eight, level with Kylian Mbappe, taking Messi’s all-time World Cup tally to 21 — the most in the competition's history.

That haul of 12 goal contributions puts the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner as the clear front-runner for the Golden Ball, an award he has already won twice before and one no other player in the tournament's history has managed to win more than once.

Argentina's road to the 2026 World Cup final: History waiting to be written

Argentina's semi-final win sets up a final against Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 19, marking the first time the reigning Copa America and European champions have ever met in a World Cup final.

The meeting also finally settles some unfinished business between the pair after their planned clash in March's Finalissima — the traditional showpiece between the continental champions of South America and Europe — was cancelled following the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, with Qatar deemed unsafe to host and no alternative venue agreed upon.

What that cancelled fixture would have delivered anyway is now set to happen on the biggest stage in football, as Messi finally shares a pitch with Lamine Yamal, the baby he was famously photographed bathing at a Camp Nou charity shoot back in 2007.