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Defending champion Argentina advanced to the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a 3-1 extra-time victory over Switzerland, despite Lionel Messi failing to score for the first time in the knockout stage.
Two goals in extra time sealed Argentina’s victory and set up a semifinal showdown against England.
Argentina also became the only non-European team to reach the tournament’s final four. The achievement was particularly notable because it came without a goal from Messi, the tournament’s leading scorer with eight goals and one of the frontrunners for the Golden Boot.
Switzerland’s hopes took a major blow when Breel Embolo was sent off after receiving a second yellow card, reducing his side to 10 players. The striker left the field in tears, but the Swiss continued to battle resolutely despite the numerical disadvantage.
Julián Álvarez broke the deadlock with a superb goal that finally unlocked another fiercely contested match.
“These are do-or-die matches, where everyone leaves everything out on the pitch,” the Atlético Madrid forward said. “We know there’s room for improvement, but the team keeps giving everything until the bitter end.”
It was another demanding night for the defending champions, who have faced a series of difficult tests in their pursuit of back-to-back World Cup titles. After the final whistle, the celebrations continued in the dressing room, with players singing football chants and cumbia songs.
The victory also marked Argentina’s second World Cup knockout win over Switzerland, following its triumph over the same opponent at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
“Today you could say we weren’t at our best,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said after the match. “I want to watch this match back. We need to go over it and analyze it. We came up against an opponent who really pushed us to our limits, a side that was physically very strong.”
“It was tough out there, but we’re always capable of finding that extra gear. In the end, we got the job done. In Qatar, even when we were performing better than we did today, we still had to dig deep.”
The performance evoked memories of Argentina’s title defense at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy.
Then, too, Argentina entered the tournament as defending champion and endured a difficult path. Carlos Bilardo’s side lost its opening match to Cameroon, narrowly advanced from the group stage, defeated Brazil despite being outplayed, edged past Yugoslavia and Italy in penalty shootouts, and eventually reached the final.
Similarly, after hard-fought victories over Cabo Verde and Egypt earlier in the tournament, Argentina again found itself in a tense contest. Switzerland recovered after Alexis Mac Allister’s early header and kept the reigning champions under sustained pressure.
“We struggled to win the duels and even to string five or six passes together,” Scaloni said. “We came up against an opponent who really pushed us to our limits, a side that was physically very strong. We always seem to find that extra gear, and in the end we got the job done.”
Defender Nicolás Tagliafico credited Argentina’s resilience for carrying the team into the semifinals.
“We’ve got that winning mentality,” Tagliafico said. “We might not be firing on all cylinders at the moment, or playing the way we believe we’re capable of, but we just keep plugging away and we keep achieving our objectives, which is to get through each round. Perhaps we’re not where we should be right now, but hard work has a habit of paying off, and we keep finding a way to get through.”
Scaloni also praised his coaching staff, particularly former center back Walter Samuel, for improving the team’s effectiveness on set pieces.
“We’re a side that opponents need to be wary of. Perhaps that wasn’t the case before. We’re in a good place in that regard,” Scaloni said.
Forward José Manuel López, who came on after Embolo’s dismissal as Argentina searched for a winner, said the squad’s unity has been its defining strength.
“We give it our all for our teammates and, when technique, tactics, and physicality fall short, we seem to find that extra edge that runs through our veins,” López said. “We’re a really tight-knit group.”
Switzerland coach Murat Yakin praised the world champions after the match.
“Argentina play like the champions they are,” Yakin said.
