England vs Argentina Predictions - World Cup Semi-Final Preview: Clash for a Place in the Final

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An old-age rivalry will be renewed this week as England battle Argentina for a spot in the 2026 World Cup final.

These two footballing behemoths have stumbled their way into the last four of the tournament, but are now within touching distance of glory and will now be full of belief they can actually go all the way.

Argentina are out to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend their crown, though they cannot get ahead of themselves and will have to fend off a Three Lions side who have willed their way to three knockout wins so far.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of a tasty semi-final…

Where to watch England vs Argentina

Date: Wednesday July 15 (local) / Thursday July 16 (Australia)

Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States

Kick-off time: 3:00pm (July 15, local) / 5:00am AEST (July 15, Australia)

TV channel/stream: Broadcast: SBS and SBS On Demand

Form

England head into this semi-final off the back of three gruelling knockout games. They had to come from behind to beat DR Congo 2-1, while their ten men held out to triumph 3-2 against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca. Thomas Tuchel’s side were taken to extra-time by Norway in the quarter-finals, where Jude Bellingham came up with two goals to ensure another comeback victory. The Three Lions have not yet put together a strong and dominant 90-minute performance this summer.

Argentina, meanwhile, are on a 13-match winning streak in all competitions, but their performances have come under fire having twice been forced into extra-time this tournament. Perhaps most shocking was the need for 120 minutes to see off surprise-package Cape Verde in the last 32, before scoring three late goals to prevent a shock exit to Egypt in the next round. Sunday’s 3-1 win over Switzerland did little to silence their doubters either.

Head-to-head

England and Argentina will meet for the 15th time in this semi-final, coming up against one another for the first time since a 2005 friendly, which was settled by a last-minute Michael Owen goal as the Three Lions won 3-2.

This fixture is best remembered for their 1986 World Cup quarter-final, during which the legendary Diego Maradona scored one of the greatest solo goals in football history, as well as the infamous ‘Hand of God’, with La Albiceleste triumphing 2-1.

Overall, England have the edge in the rivalry with six wins to Argentina’s three, while there have been five draws.

Team news

There is only one certain absence from the English camp, with Jordan Henderson nursing an arm injury sustained celebrating their win against Mexico. He was able to join the bench for the Norway victory, but with a full cast and was never going to take to the pitch.

Beyond the veteran midfielder, Tuchel will also have concerns over Declan Rice after he had to be withdrawn at half-time of their quarter-final. Only three outfielders have yet to be used by Tuchel - Trevoh Chalobah, Kobbie Mainoo and Ivan Toney.

Lionel Scaloni is expected to have a clean bill of health amongst his Argentina players, with his biggest selection headache coming in attack, where one of Julian Alvarez or Lautaro Martinez will partner Lionel Messi.

Match insights

Messi’s first England showdown

Remarkably, this will be the first time in Messi’s esteemed career that he will take on England. It will almost certainly also be the last.

“Playing against England is special because they are a powerhouse, and matches against powerhouses are always special,” he told ESPN Argentina.

“It's the first time I'm going to play against them. I've played against everyone except England, so it will be nice for that reason too.”

“We'll experience it for what it is: a World Cup semi-final against a great team, and we'll try to arrive in the best possible shape to compete again.”

TAB have Messi priced at $5 to score first 

Tuchel and Bellingham’s disagreement

Following their win over Norway, Tuchel admitted he was not happy with certain aspects of England’s performance, instead hailing the mentality of his players for securing progression by any means necessary.

The hero of the hour, Bellingham, disagreed with his manager’s assessment. “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, [Martin] Odegaard, [Antonio] Nusa, [Alexander] Sorloth,” he rebutted. “That’s not an easy team to play against. So, I think we’ve tried to create a positive environment. You’re not going to win every game, popping the ball and making a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty, and we’ve done that again tonight.”

Familiar foes

Argentina’s starting lineup is expected to include several Premier League stars, with Tottenham captain Cristian Romero set to be tasked with marshalling his former teammate, Harry Kane. Romero will be partnered in the heart of defence by Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez.

In goal, Emiliano Martinez will be keen to shut out his Aston Villa colleagues, with Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez and Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister both proven goal threats from midfield.

TAB have Harry Kane priced at $5 to score first

Prediction

Neither England nor Argentina could say with confidence they have played their best football so far in this tournament, and it is unlikely that this semi-final will be an evangelical match full of grace.

This may simply come down to which side can hold their nerve. Ordinarily, that should help Argentina given they are defending champions and this group has won several titles together already, but there is a never-say-die attitude about this England team - particularly embodied by Bellingham and Kane - that would be foolish to disregard.

Expect this showdown to go the distance. If we were pushed for a winner…then whisper it quietly, but this may finally be England’s time.

TAB have England to win at $2.60

*Odds correct as of 13/07/26

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