The second semifinal of the 2026 World Cup features another matchup of epic proportions. European powerhouse England, seeking their first World Cup final in 60 years, face the defending champions Argentina, who are looking to become the first back-to-back winners since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

The winner will likely be the betting underdog, facing pre-tournament favourites and European champions Spain, who shut France down 2-0 on Tuesday. 

England vs. Argentina odds

England +171Draw +185Argentina +200 

*Odds subject to change

England and Argentina’s World Cup


England

  • Finished 1st in Group L (7 points, 6-2)
  • Defeated DR Congo 2-1 in Round of 32
  • Defeated Mexico 3-2 in Round of 16
  • Defeated Norway 2-1 AET in quarterfinals

Argentina

  • Finished 1st in Group J (9 points, 8-1)
  • Defeated Cabo Verde 3-2 AET in Round of 32
  • Defeated Egypt 3-2 in Round of 16
  • Defeated Switzerland 3-1 AET in quarterfinal

England’s journey to the semifinal

England come into this semifinal in fine form. They finished first in their group before knocking out DR Congo, Mexico, and Norway en route to this semifinal. They came from behind to defeat both DR Congo and Norway (after extra time) and outlasted co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca.

Throughout the knockout phase they have demonstrated true resilience in defence and simultaneously showed immense ruthlessness in attack to convert their own chances. They will be a stiff challenge for any side the rest of the way. 

The “Three Lions” have two contenders for the Golden Boot in the ever-reliable duo of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham at six goals apiece. They are credited with all but one of England’s goals (Marcus Rashford scored in the group stage). Bellingham has been England’s best player and their main man the past couple of matches with two goals against Mexico in the Round of 16 and two more versus Norway in the quarterfinals.

Before the tournament, there was speculation as to who should start as England’s No. 10, Bellingham or Morgan Rogers. But manager Thomas Tuchel has opted for Bellingham every match so far, and is lucky he has. The Real Madrid man has silenced any critics with his play and has been monumental at central attacking midfield, coming up with clutch goals when his country needed them. 

On the other side of the ball the England defence have faced several stern tests and have passed each one up to this point. The Three Lions conceded first to both DR Congo and Norway early in the first half, but ensured their opposition was shut out for the remainder of proceedings.

Additionally, they overcame a second half red card to Jarell Quansah in Mexico City and a subsequent all-out attack from Mexico to move onto the next round in remarkable fashion. The English back four, headlined by Marc Guehi and John Stones, suppressed Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland in the quarterfinal, holding him to two total shots and 0.11 expected goals. The centre back pair, both teammates of Haaland at Manchester City until Stones left the club as a free agent, can be extremely pleased with their performance to earn bragging rights and keep Haaland out of the England net.

Next up for the back four is a true test of character against the lethal front pair of Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez. They will need to maintain their standard of play to produce a similar outcome in the semifinal. 

One injury concern ahead of the semifinal is at the England right back position. The aforementioned Quansah will miss out on the semifinal from his red card against Mexico, so Tuchel will have to look elsewhere. Ezri Konsa represents one option; although primarily a centre back, the Aston Villa man filled into the right back role against Norway for 89 minutes before being replaced ahead of extra time. Reece James is recovering from a hamstring injury but was fit enough to play 49 minutes as a second half sub against Norway. James will look to get the nod against Argentina now with a few more days of recovery, but expect Konsa to start once again.

England predicted XI (4-2-3-1)

Argentina’s journey to the semifinal

Argentina have not made life easy on themselves in the knockouts, but alas here they are in the last four of another World Cup. Victory against England would secure Argentina’s seventh World Cup final appearance, putting them joint second with continental rivals Brazil and only behind Germany in all time final berths.

After going perfect in the group stage, “La Albiceleste” were taken to extra time by World Cup newcomers Cabo Verde before finding the crucial extra time winner. In the next match they were losing 2-0 to Egypt (and could easily have been 3-0 if not for a VAR-overturned goal) before staging a tremendous comeback late in the second half to scrape through to the quarterfinal. 

Argentina again needed extra time to progress to the next round after drawing Switzerland 1-1 through 90 minutes, with Julian Alvarez scoring the winning goal late in extra time on a stunning curled effort and substitute Lautaro Martinez adding an insurance goal in the 120th minute. 

Lionel Messi leads the South Americans with eight goals and is joint first for the Golden Boot with French talisman Kylian Mbappe. While he did not find the scoresheet against the Swiss last time out, he did help his squad with an assist on Alexis Mac Allister’s first half goal from a corner kick. It was the second of Messi’s assists so far this tournament and is enough to put him first in assists for his team this summer. The Inter Miami man also leads Argentina in expected goals, expected assists, shot attempts, shots on target and chances created through six matches.

Messi’s offensive impact is second to none in world football; even when he doesn’t register any goals he finds a way to get the rest of his attackers involved and give headaches of all varieties to opponent defences.

One area of the pitch manager Lionel Scaloni’s men can improve is the defensive third. They have allowed their opponents to stick around in their knockout matches and at times elimination from the tournament looked like a real possibility, most notable in the last 16 against Egypt. The Argentina back line, led by Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez, and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez have conceded five goals in the last three matches on 1.83 expected goals.

That defensive form will not get them over the line against England, who will look to punish the Argentines for any defensive mishap or lapse in concentration. Despite their performances in the defensive third, Argentina have still found a way over the line but need to improve on that side of the ball and in a hurry before their date with the “Three Lions” and the challenge their attackers pose. 

Scaloni can consider himself lucky that there are no immediate injury concerns for his squad ahead of the match on Wednesday. 

Argentina predicted XI (4-3-3)

The final third

This match has the making of another classic fueled by world-class talent on both sides.

The winner may come down to which stars continue to perform at a high level, but more importantly it’s about which team makes the fewest mistakes and holds their nerves better. Both have proven their goalscoring abilities in the final third, but England come into the semifinal with the better in-form defence whereas Argentina has shown serious vulnerability at the back.

With Kane and Bellingham ready to pounce on any scoring chance, the Argentines will focus on limiting their impact in front of goal for as long as possible. On the other side of the ball, England’s defence will need another 10/10 shift to keep Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez at bay, but they are battle-tested this tournament and most recently kept the sensational Erling Haaland off the scoresheet.

At the end of the day, I ultimately expect England, the side with the better defence, to hold on long enough to see out a result over the world champions to set the stage for an all-European final Sunday afternoon.

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Feature image courtesy AP Photo/Lynne Sladky via Canadian Press Images.
Stats courtesy Opta via fotmob.com and sofascore.com.

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