England was eliminated in the World Cup semi-final match against Argentina, thanks to Lionel Messi's extraordinary performance. The match reached 21.5 million viewers on BBC One, making it the most-watched game of the tournament. Additionally, it was recorded as the program with the highest viewership in the UK this year.

The previous round's victory against Norway, which ended 2-1, had an audience of 16.8 million. These figures are based on Barb numbers provided by overnights.tv. The match starting at 20:00 local time may have increased viewer interest compared to earlier late-night matches. Many of England's matches had started either at 22:00 or, like the game against Mexico, at midnight. The 3-2 victory over Mexico was watched by 9 million Britons in the early morning hours.

As England aims for its first World Cup victory in 60 years, they took the lead with a goal from Anthony Gordon. However, Messi provided two assists in the last 10 minutes, securing Argentina's victory. Argentina will now face Spain in the final on Sunday, while England will play France in the third-place match the day before.