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England vs Argentina Semifinal
England and Argentina meet in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ semifinal at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday, July 15, with the winner set to play Spain in the final.
“The FIFA World Cup is reaching its final stages, with Spain already through to the championship match and England set to face Argentina for the remaining spot”
FOX One says the match starts at 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT, and it frames Argentina as the reigning champions after a dramatic extra-time victory over Switzerland.
England’s starting XI is listed by Goal as Jordan Pickford; Reece James, John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Djed Spence; Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson; Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane (captain), while Argentina’s starting XI is Emiliano Martínez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Tagliafico; Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández; Giovanni Simeone, Lionel Messi (captain), Julián Álvarez.
Opta Analyst’s pre-match facts say England have lost just two of their 14 internationals against Argentina (W6 D6), and it adds that Argentina have won all six of their matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Rivalry, ratings, and voices
CBS News places the semifinal within a broader rivalry, noting the Falklands War and quoting soccer journalist Joey D'urso saying, "A few minutes later, Maradona then scored possibly the greatest goal in the history of the World Cup,".
The same CBS account says Argentina and England’s Wednesday night rematch in Atlanta will determine who plays Spain on Sunday for World Cup glory, while it also quotes Gary Linekar saying he wants "revenge this time round" for the loss.
Ahead of kickoff, talkSPORT’s Gabby Agbonlahor rated Jude Bellingham as England’s best performer and said, "I've got to give him an eight so far in the tournament."
Flashscore’s preview focuses on goalkeeper form, saying Jordan Pickford has the lowest average rating of anyone with significant minutes in the squad at 6.4, and it adds that Pickford has conceded six while saving 12 from 18 shots faced.
What’s at stake next
The match’s stakes are tied directly to the tournament schedule, with Al Jazeera listing Spain’s final as Sunday, July 19 and the third-place match as Saturday, July 18, while it says the semifinal is at Atlanta Stadium.
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Al Jazeera also reports that the Opta supercomputer gives England a slight edge, advancing in 51.9 percent of projected simulations, and it says Lionel Messi enters the semifinal as Golden Boot frontrunner with eight goals.
Opta Analyst adds a specific statistical storyline, saying each of Argentina’s last four matches has seen them net exactly three goals, and it frames the possibility of becoming "just the second side in World Cup history to net 3+ goals in five consecutive matches" after France.
As the semifinal approaches, FOX One says the winner will secure a place in the FIFA World Cup Final, and it positions the matchup as a renewal of the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Harry Kane.
