Match report
Argentina beat England 1–0 at Argentina Stadium in World Cup 2026. Messi opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Argentina have 3 wins in their last 5, while England have 3 wins in their last 5.
Match events
1H
⚽Messiassist Mac Allister
18'
Messi
34'
2H
⇄Vidić↓ Nico González
74'
74'
⇄Walsh↓ Gordon
⇄Kovač↓ J. Álvarez
83'
83'
⇄Haas↓ Kane
Momentum
AR
⚽
EN
Match info
TournamentWorld Cup 2026 · International · Group stage
Kick-offMar 16, 2021 · 17:00
VenueArgentina Stadium · Neutral venue
Attendance53,792 / 61,127 (88%)
RefereeM. Oliver (Eng)
FIFA ranking
#7·
#14
#7·#14Where to watch
BBCITV
Statistics
57Ball possession %43
1.3Expected goals (xG)0.3
13Total shots8
5Shots on target3
6Shots off target3
2Blocked shots3
6Corner kicks4
2Offsides3
11Fouls11
3Yellow cards3
0Red cards0
3Goalkeeper saves4
555Passes477
79Pass accuracy %78
14Tackles18
Player of the match
J. Álvarez7.9Standings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | G | +/- | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8:2 | +6 | 9 | |
| 2 | Argentina | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8:2 | +6 | 7 | |
| 3 | England | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7:3 | +4 | 7 | |
| 4 |  Brazil | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7:2 | +5 | 6 | |
| 5 |  Spain | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6:3 | +3 | 6 | |
| 6 |  Germany | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6:3 | +3 | 4 | |
| 7 |  Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5:4 | +1 | 4 | |
| 8 |  Portugal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5:4 | +1 | 3 | |
| 9 |  Italy | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4:4 | 0 | 3 | |
| 10 |  Croatia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4:5 | -1 | 1 | |
| 11 |  Poland | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3:5 | -2 | 1 | |
| 12 |  Morocco | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2:6 | -4 | 1 | |
| 13 |  USA | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1:7 | -6 | 1 | |
| 14 |  Belgium | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3:5 | -2 | 0 | |
| 15 |  Uruguay | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2:6 | -4 | 0 | |
| 16 |  Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1:6 | -5 | 0 |
European qualification Relegation
World Cup
2025Argentina2-1EnglandUEFA Nations League
2023Argentina0-2EnglandInternational Friendly
2022England3-2ArgentinaUEFA Nations League
2021Argentina1-0England