{"id":1857,"date":"2026-07-14T20:44:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T02:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/?p=1857"},"modified":"2026-07-14T20:49:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T02:49:58","slug":"england-argentina-world-cup-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/sports-betting-and-news\/england-argentina-world-cup-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"England vs. Argentina: Can Bellingham best Messi?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The winner will likely be the betting underdog, facing pre-tournament favourites and European champions Spain, who shut France down 2-0 on Tuesday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Argentina vs. England | One spot in the final is on the line \ud83d\udd25 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sEWNvnKxfP\">pic.twitter.com\/sEWNvnKxfP<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Cleverly \ud83d\udc90 (@Cleverlydey4u) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Cleverlydey4u\/status\/2076967563364319616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 14, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">England vs. Argentina odds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td>England +171<\/td><td>Draw +185<\/td><td>Argentina +200&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">*Odds subject to change<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">England and Argentina&#8217;s World Cup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br>England<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Finished 1st in Group L (7 points, 6-2)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Defeated DR Congo 2-1 in Round of 32<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Defeated Mexico 3-2 in Round of 16<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Defeated Norway 2-1 AET in quarterfinals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Argentina<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Finished 1st in Group J (9 points, 8-1)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Defeated Cabo Verde 3-2 AET in Round of 32<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Defeated Egypt 3-2 in Round of 16<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Defeated Switzerland 3-1 AET in quarterfinal<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">England\u2019s journey to the semifinal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201cThree Lions\u201d have two&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/sports-betting-and-news\/world-cup-2026-updated-golden-boot-odds\/\">contenders for the Golden Boot<\/a>&nbsp;in the ever-reliable duo of&nbsp;<strong>Harry Kane<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Jude Bellingham<\/strong>&nbsp;at six goals apiece. They are credited with all but one of England\u2019s goals (<strong>Marcus Rashford<\/strong>&nbsp;scored in the group stage). Bellingham has been England\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the tournament, there was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/sport\/football\/jude-bellingham-england-world-cup-goals-b3014398.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">speculation<\/a>&nbsp;as to who should start as England\u2019s No. 10, Bellingham or&nbsp;<strong>Morgan Rogers<\/strong>. But manager&nbsp;<strong>Thomas Tuchel<\/strong>&nbsp;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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, they overcame a second half red card to&nbsp;<strong>Jarell Quansah<\/strong>&nbsp;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&nbsp;<strong>Marc Guehi<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>John Stones<\/strong>, suppressed Norwegian superstar&nbsp;<strong>Erling Haaland<\/strong>&nbsp;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next up for the back four is a true test of character against the lethal front pair of&nbsp;<strong>Lionel Messi<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Julian Alvarez<\/strong>. They will need to maintain their standard of play to produce a similar outcome in the semifinal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.&nbsp;<strong>Ezri Konsa<\/strong>&nbsp;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.&nbsp;<strong>Reece James<\/strong>&nbsp;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">England predicted XI (4-2-3-1)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f Declan Rice STARTS.<br>\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f Noni Madueke axed.<br>\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f John Stones on the bench.<br><br>Is this the team that can take England to a first World Cup final since 1966? What changes would you make to this XI to play Argentina? \ud83d\udcac <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZRw28Vw3JZ\">pic.twitter.com\/ZRw28Vw3JZ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Football Insider (@footyinsider247) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/footyinsider247\/status\/2077000162421961071?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 14, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Argentina\u2019s journey to the semifinal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019s seventh World Cup final appearance, putting them joint second with continental rivals Brazil and only behind Germany in all time final berths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After going perfect in the group stage, \u201cLa Albiceleste\u201d 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Argentina again needed extra time to progress to the next round after drawing Switzerland 1-1 through 90 minutes, with&nbsp;<strong>Julian Alvarez<\/strong>&nbsp;scoring the winning goal late in extra time on a stunning curled effort and substitute&nbsp;<strong>Lautaro Martinez<\/strong>&nbsp;adding an insurance goal in the 120th minute.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Lionel Messi<\/strong>&nbsp;leads the South Americans with eight goals and is joint first for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/sports-betting-and-news\/world-cup-2026-updated-golden-boot-odds\/\">the Golden Boot<\/a>&nbsp;with French talisman&nbsp;<strong>Kylian Mbappe<\/strong>. While he did not find the scoresheet against the Swiss last time out, he did help his squad with an assist on&nbsp;<strong>Alexis Mac Allister<\/strong>\u2019s first half goal from a corner kick. It was the second of Messi\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Messi\u2019s offensive impact is second to none in world football; even when he doesn\u2019t register any goals he finds a way to get the rest of his attackers involved and give headaches of all varieties to opponent defences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One area of the pitch manager&nbsp;<strong>Lionel Scaloni<\/strong>\u2019s 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&nbsp;<strong>Cristian Romero<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Lisandro Martinez<\/strong>, and goalkeeper&nbsp;<strong>Emiliano Martinez<\/strong>&nbsp;have conceded five goals in the last three matches on 1.83 expected goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 \u201cThree Lions\u201d and the challenge their attackers pose.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scaloni can consider himself lucky that there are no immediate injury concerns for his squad ahead of the match on Wednesday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Argentina predicted XI (4-3-3)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea8Argentina possible starting XI Vs England:<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/FIFAWorldCup2026?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#FIFAWorldCup2026<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/VamosArgentina?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#VamosArgentina<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FuDnTVWcIh\">pic.twitter.com\/FuDnTVWcIh<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Argentina Football Association &#8211; AFA (@argfootballafa) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/argfootballafa\/status\/2077133490030792887?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 14, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The final third<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This match has the making of another classic fueled by world-class talent on both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The winner may come down to which stars continue to perform at a high level, but more importantly it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to bet on England vs. Argentina<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/tooniebet.ca\/ca\/login\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Log in<\/a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/tooniebet.ca\/ca\/registration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">register<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Navigate to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/tooniebet.ca\/ca\/sport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sports betting page<\/a>&nbsp;&gt; World Cup hub.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bet on the Golden Boot winner or player props, build SGPs, or bet live.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to live bet England vs. Argentina<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Navigate to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/tooniebet.ca\/ca\/live-betting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">live sports page<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Follow the match trackers, real-time odds and stats, and bet.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tooniebet.ca\/ca\/responsible-gaming\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"856\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Responsible-Gaming-Banner-Sports.webp\" alt=\"ToonieBet is invested in responsible gaming. Please play safe.\" class=\"wp-image-1232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Responsible-Gaming-Banner-Sports.webp 856w, https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Responsible-Gaming-Banner-Sports-300x70.webp 300w, https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Responsible-Gaming-Banner-Sports-768x179.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 856px) 100vw, 856px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The World Cup is coming to an end, but you want to get some bets in and not sure how?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This article&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/sports-betting-and-news\/how-does-sports-betting-work\/\">walks you through the sportsbook<\/a>, explaining odds, terms, bet types, tactics and more. Consider it your sports betting playbook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Feature image courtesy AP Photo\/Lynne Sladky via Canadian Press Images.<br>Stats courtesy Opta via&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/fotmob.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fotmob.com<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/sofascore.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sofascore.com<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The content is provided for general informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute betting advice, financial advice, or a recommendation to place any wager. Odds are subject to change. Sports wagering involves risk, and there is no guarantee of success or profit. For Ontario residents, participation in regulated online gaming is restricted to individuals 19 years of age or older. Please play responsibly. If gambling is no longer fun or may be causing harm, support is available through recognized gambling resources like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/connexontario.ca\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ConnexOntario<\/a>. Terms and conditions apply where applicable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":1865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,64,68],"tags":[74,70],"class_list":["post-1857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","category-sports-betting-and-news","category-world-cup-2026","tag-soccer","tag-world-cup"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1857"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1870,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1857\/revisions\/1870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tooniebet.ca\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}