Live coverage and text updates as England and Argentina renew one of football’s great rivalries in the semifinal.
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England have made three changes to the side that beat Norway in the quarterfinals.
Reece James, Djed Spence and Morgan Rogers come in as Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly and Noni Madueke drop out.
News on the formation and positions to follow, but it looks like the English will stick to their 4-2-3-1.
Ready for Argentina! 👊 pic.twitter.com/5fSh9K1tir
— England (@England) July 15, 2026
Reporting from London, United Kingdom
Djed Spence kneeled on the pitch and raised his hands skyward to thank God after England beat Norway in the World Cup quarterfinal.
The July 11 match set up Wednesday’s semifinal date with England’s archrivals, Argentina. For millions watching, it was the first time an England international had offered Muslim prayers on the field, on the biggest stage in football.
“Being the first Muslim player to represent the Three Lions, it meant everything. Something I’ve always wanted as a kid. But what makes me happy is a lot of kids can look at it and be inspired. I feel it’s bigger than me and it’s great for generations to come,” the 25-year-old England defender said late last year.
Read more here.
From winning the World Cup to Copa America, lifting the Champions League trophy to the Ballon d’Or, and kissing the Golden Ball, Lionel Messi has achieved almost everything possible in football.
But in his 21 years playing for Argentina, there is one thing he has not done: Face England.
The 39-year-old forward will play against the Three Lions for the first time, 21 years on from the red card he received in the early days of his career, which denied him the chance in a 2005 friendly.
“I have played against everyone except England, and it is special because they are a major nation, a powerhouse, and it is always nice to play against a side like that, especially in a World Cup semifinal,” Messi said.
With eight goals in six matches, Messi is enjoying a World Cup campaign like no other as he bids for his first Golden Boot. As the captain, he is also leading Argentina’s charge to become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962.
Should they beat England, Argentina would be in their third final in four World Cups, and Messi could follow in the footsteps of Brazil’s great, Cafu, who played in three in a row from 1994 to 2002 – even Maradona only played in two.
“Getting to another semifinal is not a normal, mundane thing, so this is something we should really enjoy because we don’t know if it will happen again,” Messi said.
England 🏴 take on Argentina 🇦🇷 in the second semifinal at the 2026 World Cup. Who will win? Vote 👇
🏆 #FIFAWorldCup
⚽️ LIVE coverage: https://t.co/Ie7wByTeik
— AJE Sport (@AJE_Sport) July 15, 2026
Who'll score the first goal in the World Cup semifinal between England 🏴 and Argentina 🇦🇷? Vote 👇
🏆 #FIFAWorldCup
⚽️ LIVE coverage: https://t.co/Ie7wByTeik
— AJE Sport (@AJE_Sport) July 15, 2026
Generations in England have not seen their team lift a major trophy. Their only success came when hosting the 1966 World Cup.
This current squad – headlined by the dynamic duo of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham – is, however, within touching distance of making history by not only winning a second trophy but a first on foreign soil.
But goalkeeper Jordan Pickford believes the team can cope.
“You’ve seen throughout the tournament our desire to win tackles. We’ve not got into any scuffles or anything,” he said on Monday.
“We’ve been very well respected within the game. Decisions go our way [or] they don’t go our way, we just reset, we go again, and we let the football do the talking.”
England, fourth in the FIFA rankings and two spots below Argentina, are set to feature in a fourth semifinal in the last five major tournaments.
Scaloni acknowledged that his side will have their work cut out trying to stop England’s star players, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, who have accounted for 12 of their team’s 13 goals at the tournament.
“We always look at what we can improve and how we can neutralise these great players in the best way. Maybe we will make a change, but it is also possible that we play the same team.
“They are two great players, among the best in the world. Any coach would like to have them.”
The nations have clashed on five previous occasions at World Cups, most notably the 1986 quarterfinal when Diego Maradona opened the scoring with the infamous “Hand of God” before his superb individual effort sealed victory.
“I think everyone remembers that game, and Diego’s performance, above all the second goal which will remain in all our hearts because it was so beautiful,” Scaloni said.
“It was a marvellous goal and any football lover remembers it that way. And it just happened to be against England.”
Tensions simmered that day in Mexico City, with the game played four years after Britain sent a military taskforce in 1982 to reclaim the Falkland Islands following an invasion by Argentinian troops.
Scaloni has in recent days sought to ensure politics stays out of the semifinal.
“The reality is this is a football match. I am not going to mix everything up, especially regarding things that happened so long ago,” he said.
“It was a very sad time in our history and we can’t do much about it. This is a football game, that’s all.”
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said he was not concerned about fatigue or his team’s performances on the way to another World Cup semifinal as they prepare to renew their rivalry with England.
“We are in good shape and we really can’t wait. This is a World Cup semifinal and our hopes are intact. We are so grateful to these players for getting us here again,” he told reporters on the eve of the showdown in Atlanta.
Argentina, with an ageing side led by a 39-year-old Lionel Messi, have had to battle their way through the knockout rounds to get here.
Twice they were pegged back before beating Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time. Then they needed a late comeback to defeat Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta, before requiring another draining half-hour of extra time to sink 10-man Switzerland 3-1 last Saturday.
“A month and a half ago I would have taken getting to the semifinal if you had offered me that, so I don’t mind how we got here,” said Scaloni, who coached the Albiceleste to glory in 2022.
“I can’t reproach my players. Whether we are tired or not, I don’t care. This is a World Cup semifinal.”
England has a talismanic number 10 of their own in the form of Jude Bellingham, who is at the opposite end of his career to Messi.
At the age of 23, Real Madrid star Bellingham is already playing in his second World Cup and his fourth major tournament for England. He has six goals, including two each in the last two rounds against Mexico and Norway.
Not bad for a player who was dropped by Tuchel in the lead-up to the World Cup, prompting debate about whether he’d even be in England’s starting XI.
There is no doubt any more about a player who Tuchel described as “world-class” after two goals against Norway in the quarterfinals.
Bellingham and captain Harry Kane, who also has six goals, have spearheaded England’s run to the semifinals.
Tuchel said the duo had delivered “like crazy” at the World Cup.
It is Bellingham, however, who has provided the biggest moments in the last two games.
“We all strongly believe it’s a team sport and no one is doing it alone, but of course we are also relying on the world-class moments of world-class players,” Tuchel said.
Tuchel said he had considered trying to man-mark Messi by deploying one player to shadow him throughout the game.
“Everyone knows the spaces where he wants to show up. If you analyse the matches, you feel like he sees stuff just earlier than anyone else on the field,” Tuchel said.
“I think we found some patterns in their game, but if you close the patterns he will find maybe a new one and create a new one. That’s a super strength. That’s just what it is.”
Police in Atlanta are preparing for the World Cup semifinal between Argentina and England, a match seen as potentially high risk for trouble given the history of animosity between the two countries.
The Atlanta Police Department said on Wednesday it will have enhanced security in place, proactive measures that were the result of continual security assessments.
The stadium in downtown Atlanta normally hosts NFL and Major League Soccer.
There have been isolated reports of minor disorder in the run-up to the match, but the atmosphere was peaceful on Wednesday morning, with fans gathering in cafes and bars or playing cards as they waited outside the stadium.
In Mexico earlier in the tournament, there was a deadly crush as fans celebrated, but this World Cup has generally been free of the violent disorder that blighted some matches in the 1980s and 1990s.
Still, authorities are taking no chances. For the first time at this tournament, rival fans will be channelled into the stadium through separate entrances.
Read more here.
Thomas Tuchel said he did not feel burdened by the weight of history as he bids to lead England to a first World Cup final in 60 years by beating Argentina on Wednesday.
“I don’t feel a burden. We feel the tension and will be nervous but that is normal,” he said.
“What I like is that I feel the players are really competitive, hungry and excited to play this match.
“The two shirts are just iconic. There are historic matches, iconic moments and everyone recognises the shirts and players straight away.”
The German said he would not use the rivalry between the two teams as “fuel” to fire his men.
“We know why we are here, we know what we want, we were never shy of expecting that from ourselves, and of saying it or of dreaming it,” he added. “We are in the semifinals, and we arrive very hungry.”
No injuries reported in the Argentina camp.
Predicted starting XI:
(4-1-3-2): Martinez (goalkeeper); Molina, Romero, Lisandro, Tagliafico; Paredes; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Messi, Alvarez
England midfielder Declan Rice, who had been struggling with illness, is expected to play, while veteran player Jordan Henderson has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a broken arm.
Defender Jarell Quansah is serving the second of his two-match ban for a red card against Mexico in the last 16.
Predicted starting XI:
(4-1-3-2): Pickford (goalkeeper); Konsa, Stones, Guehi, O’Reilly; Rice, Anderson; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s live coverage of England vs Argentina in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup.
Years of political history and football rivalry will collide in Atlanta when England face Argentina in a World Cup semifinal for the ages.
From the “Hand of God” goal by Diego Maradona in 1986 to David Beckham being red-carded for kicking Diego Simeone in 1998, sporting contests between England and Argentina are often theatrical, tense and tricky.
Then, there is also the lingering sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands.
Divided by geography and conflict, England and Argentina are vastly different in many ways, yet at this World Cup, they have at least one thing in common: Both have made a habit of surviving on the edge.
For England, the plan is simple: Find a way to stop the magical force of Lionel Messi and reach their first final in six decades.
And for Argentina? To grind again and chase history in back-to-back finals.
I’m Patrick Keddie, and I’ll bring you all the pre-match build-up, analysis and photo coverage of the game.
Kevin Hand will provide the team news as soon as the lineups are announced and will take you through the minute-by-minute live commentary.
Spain booked its place in the World Cup final while England and Argentina prepare for the game at Atlanta stadium.
England and Argentina renew their World Cup rivalry after 24 years, as Harry Kane and Lionel Messi clash in the semis.
Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane will be among the stars on show during Wednesday’s match in Atlanta.
One of sport’s great rivalries sees Argentina face England in an ever feisty encounter in the 2026 edition’s semifinal.
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