A match between old rivals England and Argentina will take place on Wednesday as part of the intense World Cup semi-final. According to the five previous encounters between these two teams in the FIFA tournament, the 'Three Lions' could reach the world event final by defeating the champions for the first time in six decades.
England has won three out of five matches against Argentina: in the group stage in 1962, in the quarter-finals in 1966, and in the group stage in 2002. In turn, Argentina defeated England in the quarter-finals in 1986 and in the round of 16 in 1998.
Since the teams have exchanged victories in consecutive matches in the world tournament, and considering that England won the last meeting 24 years ago, the chances of another victory over 'La Selección' may be in their favor.
Furthermore, the 'Three Lions' aim to make up for lost time and avenge the 2-1 defeat to Argentina 40 years ago in Mexico, which is one of this year's host cities. Back then, Diego Maradona stunned the hearts of the English with the 'Hand of God' goal in the quarter-finals.
As England has shown inconsistency throughout the tournament, relying on late goals from players like Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham to advance, they need to deliver their best performance at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Argentina enters this semi-final as the clear favorite. Captain Lionel Messi is in excellent form for his team, having scored eight goals and provided one assist. He is the tournament's top scorer, with 21 goals and 9 assists.
Similar to Maradona in Mexico, Messi intends to make this tournament his defining masterpiece. For the Argentine captain, there is no grander stage than leading his country to the final on July 19th at New Jersey Stadium, where he could potentially play in a dream matchup against Spain, the country that helped shape him into a superstar.
Argentina won against England with a score of 2-1, which allowed them to advance to the tournament final. This match took place as part of the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
During the semi-final match of the 2026 World Cup, held at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday, England's mid-table player Morgan Rogers competed for the ball against Argentina's defender Nicolás Tagliafico.
Thanks to two goals scored in the second half, Argentina managed to qualify for the final match against Spain.
