Argentina, the defending champion, reached the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, narrowly defeating its numerically inferior Swiss counterpart 3-1 after extending two additional periods (regular time 1-1) in Kansas City, USA, setting up a date with England on Wednesday in Atlanta. Alexis McAllister opened the scoring for Argentina with a header following a corner kick played by captain Lionel Messi (in the 10th minute), and Dan Ndoye equalized the score for Switzerland (in the 67th minute), before Julián Alvarez added the second goal (in the 112th minute) and substitute Lautaro Martinez III (in the 120th minute + 1). Switzerland ended the match with ten players, after striker Briel Embolo was sent off by Portuguese referee Joao Pinheiro, after returning to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and he received a second yellow card for acting, after the first in the 44th (72nd) minute.