Argentina national team players celebrate the victory over England/Argentine Football Association

When Lautaro Martinez headed the winning goal in the 92nd minute against England and sent Argentina to the 2026 World Cup final, he did not just complete a dramatic comeback. He added another chapter to a journey that is proving to be one of the most impressive ever seen in the World Cup.

Argentina under Lionel Scaloni will reach the final against Spain on Sunday, just 90 minutes away from a second consecutive World Cup title - an achievement no team has recorded since Brazil in 1962. Along the way it continues to break records, post unprecedented numbers and enjoy a historic tournament from Lionel Messi.

The most dramatic there is. Scaloni and his players/GettyImages

The seventh final - and a chance to enter an exclusive list

The win over England took Argentina to the World Cup final for the seventh time in its history. In doing so it equaled Brazil in second place of all time, with only Germany above it with eight appearances.

This is also only the second time Argentina has reached two consecutive World Cup finals, after the run of 1986 and 1990. If it beats Spain it will become only the third team to win two World Cups in a row, after Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962).

The final itself will be historic: for the first time ever the reigning European champion and reigning South American champion will meet in the World Cup final. In addition, this will be the first time since the FIFA ranking was introduced in 1992 that the world number 1 and 2 meet in a World Cup match.

13 straight games with at least two goals

One of the most striking figures for the Argentina team is its attacking consistency. After the two goals against England, Argentina completed 13 consecutive World Cup matches in which it scored at least two goals - the longest streak in the history of the tournament. The previous record belonged to Uruguay, which scored twice or more in 11 consecutive World Cup matches between 1930 and 1954.

In the current tournament Argentina has already scored 19 goals - the highest total it has ever recorded in a single World Cup, more than the 18 goals it scored in the first tournament in 1930. On a global scale this is also a 21st-century record.

A team that never stops coming back

The comeback against England was further proof of the exceptional character of the world champions: Argentina trailed for the fourth time in the tournament after already escaping difficult situations against Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland. It also became the first team in World Cup history to score two winning goals in second-half stoppage time in the same tournament.

Argentina has scored no fewer than 11 goals in the knockout stages, nine of them - 82 percent - after the 75th minute. In total, eight of its 19 goals in the tournament were scored between the 75th minute and the end of regulation time, with another four coming in extra time.

Never count them out. Messi and his teammates/Reuters

Half an hour of total dominance

The numbers from the semifinal illustrate just how much Argentina took control after conceding. Between Anthony Gordon's opening goal in the 55th minute and Lautaro Martinez's winner in the 92nd, Argentina held the ball for 88 percent of the time. England managed only 12 percent possession - the second-lowest figure recorded in the tournament over such a period.

Thomas Tuchel's side finished the match with just five shots - England's lowest total in a World Cup match in the last 60 years.

Messi continues to write history

Even at 39, this World Cup belongs to Lionel Messi. The two assists against England took his tally to 21 goals and 12 assists in World Cups - 33 direct goal involvements in 33 matches. That is an all-time record. Kylian Mbappe is second with only 25 involvements.

Messi is also the all-time leading scorer in the World Cup, the record holder for appearances and the record holder for assists, of course, with 12 in the World Cup. Ten of them came in the knockout stages - six more than any other player since detailed recording began in 1966. Pele and Antoine Griezmann are next with four each.

Unlike most great stars, Messi did not build these numbers on partnerships with a single striker. He has assisted 11 different players across six World Cups and three generations of the Argentina team. Enzo Fernandez, who received an assist from him for the equalizer against England, became the first player to benefit from two Messi assists in World Cups.

The greatest of all. Messi/Reuters

Another historic evening for the captain

The captain completed nine successful dribbles against England - the most by any player in a single match at the 2026 World Cup - and leads the tournament with 24 dribbles, two more than Lamine Yamal.

But that is not all: he won 12 individual duels - his highest figure in a World Cup match since 2014 - and created 0.86 expected goals from assists (xA), more than the entire England team combined.

Messi also created 25 scoring chances in the current tournament and is now just five short of Diego Maradona's 1986 World Cup record (30). Over his World Cup career he has already created 99 scoring chances - just one away from the historic round number of 100.

In addition, he recorded an 11th consecutive World Cup match in which he scored or assisted - a new record in the history of the tournament.

On Sunday Messi will face another milestone. If he starts against Spain he will become only the second player in history to appear in three World Cup finals, after Brazil's Cafu. At 39 years and 21 days he has already become the oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup semifinal.

On the way to another title?/Reuters

The other heroes also recorded achievements

Lautaro Martinez, who scored the winner, became the first Argentine to score more than one goal as a substitute in the same World Cup.

At the same time, four winning goals scored by substitutes in stoppage time of the knockout stages at the 2026 World Cup have already surpassed the total of such goals scored in all previous World Cups combined.

Since the loss to Brazil in the 2019 Copa America semifinal, Argentina has won 15 consecutive knockout matches in official tournaments. In that period it recorded 75 wins in 92 matches, lost only five times and won four titles - the 2021 Copa America, the Finalissima, the 2024 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup.

If it also beats Spain, Argentina will not only retain the most important title - it will cement its place as one of the greatest teams in football history, and Messi will close his international career with an achievement that may prove impossible to replicate.