England vs. Argentina rivalry renewed: Our staff from both countries weighs in on World Cup semifinal

England and Argentina renew a historic World Cup rivalry on Wednesday as they contest the second semifinal of the 2026 tournament.

The defending champions have not always looked convincing at these finals, but their irrepressible will to win, combined with Lionel Messi's otherworldly talents, has carried them to this stage.

England have also overcome adversity by sheer bloody-mindedness, while their own goal-scoring burden has been shouldered by two star performers: Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.

Two evenly matched teams enjoying — and, at times, enduring — very similar tournaments make this a difficult game to predict. So, we've gone for some local insight.

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The view on England: Too reliant on two players?

Sum up England in three words

Agustin Aboy (Content Producer): Eternal football rival.

Renzo Desaunet (Content Producer): Kane-Bellingham-Gordon.

Mauro Mariani (Senior Editor): Kane and Bellingham.

Dom Farrell (Senior Content Producer): Bellingham and Kane.

Joe Wright (Senior Editor): It's coming home.

What is England's biggest strength?

AA: They have Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham playing at an incredible level, surrounded by a squad built to create scoring opportunities for both of them. They've also shown courage in big moments against Congo, Mexico and Norway.

RD: Having two players with a knack for scoring goals in Kane and Bellingham. Like Argentina, they've known how to win even when not playing well.

MM: England's biggest strength lies in Kane's clinical finishing and Bellingham's strong performances over the last two matches. The team would not still be in contention without the two of them.

DF: After the muddle of Euro 2024, where England still showed plenty of fine qualities to scrap their way to the final, Tuchel has brought clarity. Wingers are not playmakers; they pin themselves wide and run beyond Kane. Bellingham is not the new Juan Roman Riquelme, roaming where he pleases; he leaves the grubby stuff to Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson and links with Kane to win games. Simple, but effective.

JW: Creating a system in which both Kane and Bellingham can thrive, not just one or the other. Having one world-class match-winner is important; having two is almost unfair.

What is England's biggest weakness?

AA: At various points in the World Cup, they've looked like a team lacking creativity, one that struggles to do something on the offensive side whenever Kane fails to get involved.

RD: Vulnerability in defense, especially behind the full-backs.

MM: Jordan Pickford. He is not a goalkeeper known for winning matches on his own, and the poor performances of the defence have not helped him, either.

DF: The fact that John Stones could still play more minutes at this tournament than he did in the Premier League this season shows that England are hardly blessed with lots of elite options in defence. Tuchel leaving behind Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, Luke Saw and Lewis Hall has hardly helped matters.

JW: England's central midfield is, on paper, the best it's been for some years. And yet, they still struggle to dictate matches from the middle of the park, or use possession to seize control of momentum and alleviate pressure on the defence. Against the very best, it's a big, big problem.

What do fans feels about this England team?

AA: They are an eternal rival with a century-old football history that goes far beyond the 1982 war. There's that intense rivalry hatred that makes this match greater than any semifinal Argentina has played before, but there's also respect for players of the quality of Kane and Bellingham that reflects the difficulty and importance of this game.

RD: That they are not invincible. Not even close. And that any potential rifts within the group could be disastrous.

MM: England have yet to face an opponent of sufficient quality to prove they are genuine contenders to win the trophy. Tuchel has also come under scrutiny, and there have been signs of tension between the manager and parts of the squad.

DF: It's hard to say until we see how this week unfolds. The Southgate era was all about restoring a link between a national team and its fanbase that had been badly severed. The runs to tournament semifinals and finals were great, but there was also a sense at the best of times under Southgate that this was all about the journey. Tuchel, by contrast, was appointed as an elite coach to win a World Cup, he's even said as much. That's made the whole thing feel a little more transactional, but if they win two more games this week, they'll be eternal heroes.

JW: Tuchel's squad choices caused plenty of eyebrows to rocket up foreheads, but to this point, his choices have been vindicated: it's a group of players that are generally likeable and easy to root for, even though some of that star quality left at home would have been nice to have at times.

Argentina: Which England player would you have on your team?

AA: Kane is an incredible striker, the best English footballer I've ever seen, but for this Argentina team, I'd prefer the World Cup 2026 version of Bellingham. He would work brilliantly playing right behind Messi and Alvarez.

RD: Bellingham — a footballer who is the brains of the England midfield, precisely where Argentina are weak. Plus, he can score goals like a centre-forward. 

MM: Considering the current state of Argentina's midfield, which features several big names but has produced underwhelming performances, Bellingham's presence would improve the team tremendously. It would be incredible to see him play alongside Messi.

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The view on Argentina: Messi... but what else?

Sum up Argentina in three words

AA: A winning team.

RD: Soul, heart and life.

MM: Lionel Messi again.

DF: Loud, emotional winners.

JW: Somehow never lose.

What is Argentina's biggest strength?

AA: An incredible offensive power, backed by the genius of Lionel Messi, which has made this team the highest-scoring side in the World Cup even without dominating matches as much as other teams. Additionally, their winning mindset and experience in key matches.

RD: Aside from having Messi: the experience of defeat, and never wanting to relive that feeling.

MM: Messi's goal-scoring form. While many expected him to adopt more of a creative role, Messi has instead emerged as the team's main attacking force and is firmly in contention for the Golden Boot.

Do England get to the World Cup final if they stop Messi? pic.twitter.com/uN7xIOgK2G

DF: The way the players and Scaloni have kept everything rolling since Qatar, which should have been the end of a journey, with Messi finally a world champion. But they've kept this sense of ongoing quest, winning another Copa and now going deep at this World Cup. When you see the supporters in an emotional frenzy at matches, it doesn't feel like they got the job done four years ago. Winning here with Messi, for Messi, remains the most important thing in the world. England aren't just playing a fine football team; they're facing down an awesome emotional force.

JW: The way Scaloni has built a team both to bring the best out of an older Messi and mitigate for his weaknesses is one of the great achievements in international football this century.

What is Argentina's biggest weakness?

AA: In defense, they don't seem to be at the same level as other elite teams: they suffer from having to compensate for the presence of a 39-year-old Messi and from midfielders who aren't at 100% physically, on top of being vulnerable down the right flank.

RD: The midfield and fullbacks have posed the biggest questions at this World Cup. The key element in Qatar 2022 — the De Paul-Enzo-Mac Allister trio — has not been able to exert any influence in possession so far. 

MM: An overreliance on Messi. Every attacking move seems required to go through him at least once. The midfield has also failed to perform as expected, looking slow and predictable.

DF: There's a giant Angel Di Maria-shaped hole in this team and a hard-working midfield badly misses his craft. During the comeback against Egypt, Messi seemed to drop into Di Maria's old position on the right and fill the void himself, because he's a genius. But he can't do that the whole game. He's got enough on his plate.

JW: Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez are fine players, but you always sense there's a mistake waiting to happen there: a rash challenge, or an ill-timed run forward. Egypt punished their positional indiscipline, and a better side could do more damage without allowing the game to slip.

What do fans feel about this Argentina team?

AA: Lot of love and pride. It's already a historic national team that brought Argentina back to its winning ways and gave the country some of its happiest days in modern history, with millions of people celebrating on the streets.

MM: Despite not having an easy path through the World Cup, Argentina have not been particularly impressive. However, the numbers show that they reached the semifinals as the tournament's highest-scoring team, with 17 goals. Their attacking firepower remains intact, and they are an opponent nobody wants to face. Messi's aura makes anything possible.

RD: They'll never let you down. They'll fight to the end, even if the football isn't going their way.

DF: I appreciate I'm probably not speaking as your normal Englishman here, because I love everything about Argentinian football, including all the nonsense and s—housery. Honestly, no one does it better. It's why, at some point after 8 p.m. British Summer Time on Wednesday, most England fans will probably hate them. Not me, though. It's all love.

JW: There are plenty of recognisable names to English fans, not least the five regular starters who play in the Premier League. There is a healthy respect for the team's pedigree, but not, I would say, a huge amount of fear.

England: Which Argentina player would you have on your team?

DF: I've tried to be clever and would definitely consider Leandro Paredes or Enzo Fernandez, given that technically proficient midfielders have tended to be the death of England at this stage of tournaments. But it's obviously Messi, isn't it?

JW: It's too obvious to pick him, so I'm going for Alvarez. He occupies defenders so well in the final third, and if you need someone to find the top corner from 30 yards against a stubborn defence, he's as good as anyone.

Predictions

Who will be player of the match?

AA: Alvarez. His level has improved over the last few games, he looks in better physical shape, and he regained confidence with his spectacular goal against Switzerland. With his speed and talent, he can be decisive playing alongside Messi.

RD: I'll go with the obvious one: Messi. I think he'll be motivated by it being his first time facing England and all the emotional weight of being compared to Diego Maradona.

MM: Messi will be MVP. In his first-ever match against England, he will channel the spirit of Diego Armando Maradona and score twice, recreating the historic feat from Mexico 1986.

DF: Kane and Bellingham are primed to do their thing but, if England are to win this, it might have to be Elliot Anderson. The Manchester City-bound midfielder gives the sort of craft and guile to the engine room that Southgate's teams lacked. He always wants the ball, is always available and looks for the progressive option in possession whenever he can. If Anderson can dictate the play, England won't be in the familiar position of chasing the ball around en route to an exhausting defeat to an elite nation.

JW: I think the Kane-Bellingham tandem will cause real problems to Argentina's centre-backs. My money is on Bellingham to find the space and score the goals, so he'll get the award.

Who will be the most disappointing?

AA: Jordan Pickford. Much like Dibu Martinez, he's having an inconsistent tournament, which is typical of his career. He was good for England in their victory in Mexico, but his performance against Norway exposed the doubts again. Against a team with Argentina’s goal-scoring threat, things could get complicated for him.

RD: Kane. Against all the odds, he'll be well marked by Licha Martinez and Cuti Romero.

MM: Pickford will be the main villain in Atlanta. Not only will he be unable to stop Messi, but he will also display the same uncertainty that has troubled him throughout this World Cup.

DF: I'm worried about Pickford, a superb tournament performer for England and key to all of those memorable runs from 2018 onwards. But, aside from a fine showing against Mexico in the Azteca, the Everton goalkeeper has looked vulnerable and short of his best.

JW: Noni Madueke seems to have played his way out of the team, so I'll go with Bukayo Saka, who just doesn't look fully fit or sharp enough to cause that Argentina left side problems.

Score prediction

AA: England 1-2 Argentina.

RD: England 1-1 Argentina, Argentina win on penalties.

MM: England 1-2 Argentina.

DF:  England 3-2 Argentina in an absolute madness of a game.

JW: England 2-1 Argentina