Lionel Messi and Argentina are headed back to the World Cup final after a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over England on Wednesday in Atlanta, Ga.
England took a 1-0 lead, but Argentina scored two goals in a span of 10 minutes, with Messi recording an assist on both goals.
As a result, Messi joins Pele and Antoine Griezmann, with each star recording four assists in the knockout stage.
He just keeps doing it …
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) July 15, 2026
No other player in the last 60 years has more than Messi's four World Cup KO stage assists (tied with Pele and Antoine Griezmann). https://t.co/y45eHHVCs7
The first assist of the semifinal game came in the 85th minute with Enzo Fernández tying the game.
GOOOOAAL! ENZO FERNÁNDEZ DRAWS ARGENTINA LEVEL WITH ENGLAND IN THE SEMIFINALS 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/A84NfiCmWH
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 15, 2026
Messi had one assist against Egypt and one against Switzerland, and he also scored a goal in the win over Egypt.
In total, Messi has eight goals and four assists so far in this World Cup as Argentina looks to repeat as champions.
Argentina has defeated Algeria, Austria, Jordan, Cape Verde, Egypt, Switzerland and now England to punch the ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup title game.
Lionel Messi and Argentina will face Spain on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
If Argentina wins, it will be the third team to win back-to-back World Cups, with Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) as the others.
