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England and Argentina write the latest chapter in their rich shared World Cup history when they meet in Wednesday's eagerly awaited semifinal.
Lionel Scaloni's reigning world champions are looking to become the first nation since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to win back-to-back titles.
England are aiming to win a first major title since the 1966 World Cup and now know they need to set up a rematch of the Euro 2024 final, after Spain dispatched France in Tuesday's semifinal.
The Three Lions won the previous World Cup encounter 1-0 in the 2002 group stage, four years on from a gripping Round of 16 meeting that Argentina won on penalties after a 2-2 draw and a David Beckham red card. It's 40 years since Diego Maradona dumped England out in Mexico '86, thanks to his Hand of God and the Goal of the Century.
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England projected starting 11
(4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. J. Pickford (GK) — 2. E. Konsa, 5. J. Stones, 6. M. Guehi, 3. N. O'Reilly — 8. E. Anderson. 4. D. Rice — 7. B. Saka, 10. J. Bellingham, 18. A. Gordon — 9. H. Kane
- Injured: J. Henderson (broken wrist), D. Rice (illness/nerve pain, doubt)
- Suspended: J. Quansah (2nd game of red-card suspension)
England's main concern centres on Declan Rice. The Arsenal midfielder has suffered with fitness and illness issues throughout the tournament but trained with his teammates in the build-up to the semifinals.
Right-back has been a problem for Thomas Tuchel, but Ezri Konsa is expected to remain on the right-hand side of defence after moving there from centre-back for the 2-1 quarterfinal win over Norway.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have scored all but one of England's goals in North America are are level on six apiece in the Golden Boot race.
MORE: Updated World Cup Golden Boot standings
Argentina projected starting 11
(4-1-3-2, right to left): 23. E. Martinez (GK) — 26. N. Molina, 13. C. Romero, 6. Li. Martinez, 3. N. Tagliafico — 5. L. Paredes — 7. R. De Paul, 20. A. Mac Allister, 24. E. Fernandez — 10. L. Messi, 9. J. Alvarez
- Injured: None
- Suspended: None
Cristian Romero and Leandro Paredes were each substituted during extra time of Argentina's quarterfinal win over Switzerland but are each expected to be ready to start.
If Lionel Scaloni elects to tweak an unchanged XI, Paredes could make way for either Nicolas Gonzalez or Thiago Almada in a switch to a 4-3-3.
Lionel Messi is on eight goals for the competition as he prepares to play against England for the first time.
England vs. Argentina predictions, betting odds
Both teams have world-class players capable of winning games on their own. Each side is also flawed and vulnerable, as they have shown throughout the knockout rounds. It's probably why neither will beat Spain in the final, but buckle up for a thriller.
- Score prediction: England 3-2 Argentina (a.e.t)
England vs. Argentina World Cup rosters
Here are the names on England and Argentina's World Cup rosters. All caps and stats are correct as of the date of their announcement in May 2026.
England World Cup roster
Head coach: Thomas Tuchel
| GK | 13 | Dean Henderson | Crystal Palace (Premier League, England) | 29 | 4 |
| GK | 1 | Jordan Pickford | Everton (Premier League, England) | 32 | 82 |
| GK | 23 | James Trafford | Manchester City (Premier League, England) | 23 | 1 |
| DEF | 15 | Dan Burn | Newcastle (Premier League, England) | 34 | 6 |
| DEF | 12 | Trevoh Chalobah | Chelsea (Premier League, England) | 26 | 1 |
| DEF | 6 | Marc Guehi | Manchester City (Premier League, England) | 25 | 27 |
| DEF | 24 | Reece James | Chelsea (Premier League, England) | 26 | 22 |
| DEF | 2 | Ezri Konsa | Aston Villa (Premier League, England) | 28 | 18 |
| DEF | 3 | Nico O'Reilly | Manchester City (Premier League, England) | 21 | 3 |
| DEF | 26 | Jarell Quansah | Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga, Germany) | 23 | 1 |
| DEF | 25 | Djed Spence | Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League, England) | 24 | 4 |
| DEF | 5 | John Stones | Manchester City (Premier League, England) | 31 | 87 |
| MID | 8 | Elliot Anderson | Nottingham Forest (Premier League, England) | 23 | 7 |
| MID | 10 | Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid (La Liga, Spain) | 22 | 46 |
| MID | 21 | Eberechi Eze | Arsenal (Premier League, England) | 27 | 16 |
| MID | 14 | Jordan Henderson | Brentford (Premier League, England) | 35 | 89 |
| MID | 16 | Kobbie Mainoo | Manchester United (Premier League, England) | 21 | 12 |
| MID | 4 | Declan Rice | Arsenal (Premier League, England) | 27 | 72 |
| MID | 17 | Morgan Rogers | Aston Villa (Premier League, England) | 23 | 13 |
| FWD | 18 | Anthony Gordon | Newcastle United (Premier League, England) | 25 | 17 |
| FWD | 9 | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich (Bundesliga, Germany) | 32 | 112 |
| FWD | 20 | Noni Madueke | Arsenal (Premier League, England) | 24 | 10 |
| FWD | 11 | Marcus Rashford | Manchester United (Premier League, England) | 28 | 70 |
| FWD | 7 | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal (Premier League, England) | 24 | 48 |
| FWD | 22 | Ivan Toney | Al Ahli (Pro League, Saudi Arabia) | 30 | 7 |
| FWD | 19 | Ollie Watkins | Aston Villa (Premier League, England) | 30 | 20 |
Argentina World Cup squad
Head coach: Lionel Scaloni
| Pos | No. | Name | Club | Age | Caps |
| GK | 23 | Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa (Premier League, England) | 33 | 59 |
| GK | 1 | Juan Musso | Atletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain) | 32 | 3 |
| GK | 12 | Geronimo Rulli | Marseille (Ligue 1, France) | 34 | 7 |
| DEF | 6 | Lisandro Martinez | Manchester United (Premier League, England) | 28 | 26 |
| DEF | 25 | Facundo Medina | Lens (Ligue 1, France) | 27 | 7 |
| DEF | 26 | Nahuel Molina | Atletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain) | 28 | 58 |
| DEF | 4 | Gonzalo Montiel | River Plate (Primera Liga, Argentina) | 29 | 38 |
| DEF | 19 | Nicolas Otamendi | Benfica (Primeira Liga, Portugal) | 38 | 130 |
| DEF | 13 | Cristian Romero | Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League, England) | 28 | 49 |
| DEF | 2 | Marcos Senesi | Tottenham (Premier League, England) | 29 | 3 |
| DEF | 3 | Nicolas Tagliafico | Lyon (Ligue 1, France) | 33 | 75 |
| MID | 8 | Valentin Barco | Strasbourg (Ligue 1, France) | 21 | 2 |
| MID | 7 | Rodrigo De Paul | Inter Miami (MLS, United States) | 32 | 85 |
| MID | 24 | Enzo Fernandez | Chelsea (Premier League, England) | 25 | 40 |
| MID | 11 | Giovani Lo Celso | Real Betis (La Liga, Spain) | 30 | 65 |
| MID | 20 | Alexis Mac Allister | Liverpool (Premier League, England) | 27 | 44 |
| MID | 14 | Exequiel Palacios | Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga, Germany) | 27 | 38 |
| MID | 5 | Leandro Paredes | Boca Juniors (Primera Liga, Argentina) | 31 | 77 |
| MID | 18 | Nico Paz | Como (Serie A, Italy) | 21 | 8 |
| FWD | 16 | Thiago Almada | Atletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain) | 25 | 14 |
| FWD | 9 | Julian Alvarez | Atletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain) | 26 | 51 |
| FWD | 15 | Nicolas Gonzalez | Juventus (Serie A, Italy) | 28 | 50 |
| FWD | 21 | Jose Lopez | Palmeiras (Brasileirao, Brazil) | 25 | 3 |
| FWD | 22 | Lautaro Martinez | Inter Milan (Serie A, Italy) | 28 | 75 |
| FWD | 10 | Lionel Messi | Inter Miami (MLS, United States) | 38 | 198 |
| FWD | 17 | Giuliano Simeone | Atletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain) | 23 | 11 |
Where to watch England vs. Argentina
- TV channel: FOX
- Live stream: fubo, Fox One, Fox Sports app/website
England vs. Argentina will be broadcast on FOX in the United States with streaming options available on its dedicated platforms.
The best place to catch the match is on streaming service fubo, which streams ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)
Here is how to watch the match in some of the other major territories:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Canada | TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, RDS | TSN+, RDS app |
| UK | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Australia | SBS | SBS On Demand |
| India | Unite8 Sports 1 | ZEE5 |

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