Entertainment news and discussion on TalkFuse.
24m tune in to watch England-Argentina
-
37'
Yellow card Elliot ANDERSON (England) is booked by
-
42'
Yellow card Lisandro MARTINEZ (Argentina) is booked by
-
51'
Yellow card Cristian ROMERO (Argentina) is booked by
-
55'
Goal Anthony GORDON (England) scores!!
-
85'
Goal Enzo FERNANDEZ (Argentina) scores!!
-
90'+2'
Goal Lautaro MARTINEZ (Argentina) scores!!
-
90'+4'
Yellow card Rodrigo DE PAUL (Argentina) is booked
England squad
- Selected
-
1 Jordan PICKFORD Goalkeeper
-
4 Declan RICE Midfielder
-
5 John STONES Defender
-
6 Marc GUEHI Defender
-
8 Elliot ANDERSON Midfielder
-
9 Harry KANE C Forward
-
10 Jude BELLINGHAM Midfielder
-
17 Morgan ROGERS Midfielder
-
18 Anthony GORDON Forward
-
24 Reece JAMES Defender
-
25 Djed SPENCE Defender
-
2 Ezri KONSA Defender
-
3 Nico OREILLY Defender
-
7 Bukayo SAKA Forward
-
11 Marcus RASHFORD Forward
-
12 Trevoh CHALOBAH Defender
-
13 Dean Henderson Goalkeeper
-
14 Jordan HENDERSON Midfielder
-
15 Dan BURN Defender
-
16 Kobbie MAINOO Midfielder
-
19 Ollie WATKINS Forward
-
20 Noni MADUEKE Forward
-
21 Eberechi EZE Midfielder
-
22 Ivan TONEY Forward
-
23 James TRAFFORD Goalkeeper
- Full squad
-
26 Jarell QUANSAH Defender
Argentina squad
- Selected
-
3 Nicolas TAGLIAFICO Defender
-
5 Leandro PAREDES Midfielder
-
6 Lisandro MARTINEZ Defender
-
9 Julian ALVAREZ Forward
-
10 Lionel MESSI C Forward
-
13 Cristian ROMERO Defender
-
17 Giuliano SIMEONE Forward
-
20 Alexis MAC ALLISTER Midfielder
-
23 Emiliano MARTINEZ Goalkeeper
-
24 Enzo FERNANDEZ Midfielder
-
26 Nahuel MOLINA Defender
-
1 Juan MUSSO Goalkeeper
-
2 Marcos SENESI Defender
-
4 Gonzalo MONTIEL Defender
-
7 Rodrigo DE PAUL Midfielder
-
8 Valentin BARCO Midfielder
-
11 Giovani Lo Celso Midfielder
-
12 Geronimo RULLI Goalkeeper
-
14 Exequiel PALACIOS Midfielder
-
15 Nico GONZALEZ Midfielder
-
16 Thiago ALMADA Forward
-
18 Nico PAZ Forward
-
19 Nicolas OTAMENDI Defender
-
21 Jose Manuel LOPEZ Forward
-
22 Lautaro MARTINEZ Forward
-
25 Facundo MEDINA Defender
A peak audience of 24 million people watched England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, making it the most-watched live television event in the UK in five years. The figure underlines the scale of public interest in England's 2026 World Cup run, with the broadcast marking the BBC's biggest audience for a single event since the Euro 2020 final in 2021.
England lost 2-1 to Argentina in Atlanta, with the match averaging 22.1 million viewers across BBC One and iPlayer, plus a further 12.6 million streams on iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. Anthony Gordon put England ahead early in the second half, before Enzo Fernández equalised and Lautaro Martínez's stoppage-time header sent defending champions Argentina through to a second successive final. England now play France in the third-place play-off in Miami on Saturday, while Argentina face Spain in the final in New Jersey on Sunday, with both matches broadcast live on the BBC.
In short
- 24m watched England's World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina.
- Biggest BBC live audience since Euro 2020 final.
- England play France for third place; Argentina face Spain in final.
Explained simply
The World Cup is international football's biggest tournament, held every four years, where national teams compete to become world champions. England have reached the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, meaning they are among the last four teams remaining in the tournament. Semi-finals are the late-stage matches that determine which two teams will progress to the final.
A television audience of 24 million viewers is exceptionally large in modern UK broadcasting and reflects significant public interest in the World Cup. Such viewing figures place this match among the most-watched live television events in Britain in recent years, demonstrating the importance of the competition to British audiences.
Argentina are the defending world champions from the previous tournament. The World Cup represents international football's most prestigious competition, and matches involving England attract substantial audiences from UK viewers who follow their national team's progress through the tournament.