World Cup 2026 pages
Sports · World Cup 2026 · Semi-final
Englandvs
Argentina
Wednesday, July 15, 2026 · 3:00 p.m. ET · Atlanta Stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), Atlanta, GA
Watch: FOX · Telemundo
My pick: Argentina advance · locked 2026-07-12 11:47 UTCPrediction
Argentina to reach the final. The reigning champions are the only perfect team left — six wins from six — with Lionel Messi (eight goals, tied for the Golden Boot) orchestrating and a settled, battle-hardened spine in front of Emiliano Martínez. They were pushed hard by Switzerland but found a way, as champions do. England are dangerous and in form — Jude Bellingham was electric against Norway and Harry Kane keeps scoring in knockouts — but they lose the suspended Jarell Quansah, carry a fitness doubt over Declan Rice, and have needed extra time to get here. Argentina's depth and know-how edge a tight one. Argentina by a single goal; extra time would not surprise.
The case for England
31% to winEngland have found a winning habit under Thomas Tuchel: they topped Group L, survived nearly an hour with ten men to beat Mexico, and dug out a 2-1 extra-time win over Norway. Jude Bellingham is playing the tournament of his life, Harry Kane remains ruthless in the box, and Jordan Pickford gives them a settled, in-form goalkeeper. If they match Argentina's intensity, protect the wide areas and let Bellingham and Kane get at a champions' defence that Switzerland exposed, a first World Cup final since 1966 is within reach.
The case for Argentina
44% to winArgentina have the tournament's highest ceiling and the calm of reigning champions: six wins from six, Messi tied for the Golden Boot, and match-winners all over the pitch in Julián Álvarez, Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martínez. Their spine — Emiliano Martínez, Cristian Romero, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández — has been here before and rarely blinks in a knockout. With no fresh injuries or suspensions and the deepest bench left in the draw, Scaloni's side can control the tempo and let Messi decide a tight tie, just as they did on the way to the 2022 title.
Both cases written 2026-07-12, before kickoff — they freeze into the record exactly as written, however the match goes. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — the unclaimed 25% belongs to the draw.
England 4-2-3-14-1-3-2 ArgentinaAt this Stage
Two heavyweights, and a rivalry with real history. England arrive as first-time semi-finalists since 2018, having topped Group L and ground their way through — a 3-2 win over Mexico in the last 16 and a 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway, settled by Jude Bellingham's equaliser and a 93rd-minute winner. Argentina arrive perfect: the reigning champions have won all six, Lionel Messi (eight goals, tied for the Golden Boot) pulling the strings, and needed extra time and a red-card advantage to see off a stubborn Switzerland 3-1 in the last eight. It renews one of the World Cup's fiercest rivalries — Maradona in 1986, the 1998 shootout — with a place in the New York/New Jersey final on 19 July at stake; the loser drops to the third-place play-off in Miami. Under the Atlanta roof: Kane and Bellingham against Messi and the champions.
Quarter-final
Semi-final
Final
The briefing
Storylines
- One of the World Cup's fiercest rivalries, renewed with a final at stake: Argentina and England meet in a knockout tie for the first time since the 1998 last-16 shootout — the history runs from Maradona's two goals in the 1986 quarter-final to Beckham in 1998 and 2002.
- Lionel Messi, 39 and in what is almost certainly his last World Cup, is tied for the Golden Boot on eight goals and driving the reigning champions' bid to become the first back-to-back winners since Brazil in 1958-62.
- England are into a first World Cup semi-final since 2018 and chasing a first final since their 1966 triumph, powered by Jude Bellingham's extra-time heroics against Norway and Harry Kane's knockout goals — but they must do it without the suspended Jarell Quansah.
- FIFA's neutrality policy keeps English and Argentine officials apart — a legacy of the 1982 Falklands conflict — so a neutral crew, still to be appointed, will referee. The winner reaches the final in New York/New Jersey on 19 July; the loser drops to the third-place play-off in Miami.
The coaches
Thomas Tuchel England
The German coach has England grinding out results — topping Group L, surviving a red card to beat Mexico, and edging Norway in extra time — and into a first World Cup semi-final since 2018, with Bellingham and Kane his match-winners.
Lionel Scaloni Argentina
The 2022 World Cup-winning coach has kept Argentina unbeaten and hunting back-to-back titles, building around Lionel Messi with a deep, experienced squad that rarely blinks in a knockout.
Availability
| Jarell Quansah | Suspended for the semi-final — serving the second match of a two-game ban for his red card against Mexico in the round of 16, having already missed the quarter-final | Yahoo Sports / TNT Sports |
| Declan Rice | Fitness doubt after coming off during the extra-time win over Norway; expected to be assessed before the semi-final | Yahoo Sports / ESPN |
| Reece James | Returned to play 49 minutes off the bench in the quarter-final and is pushing to start at right-back, where Ezri Konsa deputised despite cramp against Norway | Yahoo Sports / Goal |
| Lionel Messi | Fit and available; managed late in the extra-time quarter-final but no injury concern, and stays tied for the Golden Boot on eight goals | Sports Mole / ESPN |
| Lautaro Martínez | Booked in the quarter-final along with Thiago Almada and José Manuel López, but yellow cards are wiped after the quarter-finals, so no Argentina player is suspended for the semi-final | Sports Mole / Yahoo Sports |
Availability drifts hourly in tournament week — every row carries its source and date for exactly that reason.
Watch: FOX in English (free over the air, or stream on Fox One) and Telemundo in Spanish (stream on Peacock or the Telemundo app). Kickoff 3 p.m. ET. (FOX Sports / Telemundo World Cup semi-final TV schedule (11 Jul 2026), as of 2026-07-12)
Weather: Atlanta Stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) has a retractable roof and is air-conditioned, so conditions will be controlled regardless of the Georgia summer heat outside. (Venue (retractable roof), as of 2026-07-12)
Venue: Atlanta Stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), Atlanta, GA, United States — FIFA strips sponsor names for the tournament; the everyday name is in parentheses.