England vs Argentina: old World Cup rivals collide for a place in the final
Jude Bellingham’s England and Lionel Messi’s Argentina meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 15, their first World Cup meeting since 2002, with a spot in the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium on the line.
Both semifinalists arrived in Atlanta the hard way. England won Group L, beat DR Congo 2-1 in the round of 32 on two late Harry Kane goals, survived a 3-2 thriller against co-hosts Mexico in the round of 16 despite finishing with ten men, and then needed extra time to see off Norway 2-1 in Miami, Jude Bellingham scoring both goals including a 93rd-minute winner. Argentina topped Group J unbeaten, came from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2 in the round of 16, and then needed extra time themselves to get past a 10-man Switzerland 3-1 in Kansas City, with Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez scoring in the additional 30 minutes after Alexis Mac Allister’s early header was cancelled out by Dan Ndoye.
Team news is mostly good news, with a couple of asterisks. Thomas Tuchel has a settled England side to pick from, with Reece James back to full fitness at right-back, but Jarell Quansah is serving the second game of his suspension after his round-of-16 red card against Mexico, and Jordan Henderson is unavailable after breaking his arm in the celebrations following that win. Declan Rice has managed a hamstring and back niggle through the tournament and was further hit by a sickness bug before the Norway win, while Ezri Konsa came off with cramp late in that same match — both are expected to be fit to start. For Argentina, the headline concern is Messi, who picked up an eye knock in the win over Switzerland; Lionel Scaloni’s camp expects him to be passed fit, with predicted lineups pairing him alongside Julián Álvarez up front in a 4-4-2, with Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández across midfield.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who will win his 11th cap of the tournament, set the tone in England’s pre-match press conference: “It will be special to face Messi, I have been watching him since I was little,” he said. “Everyone will talk about Messi because he is one of the GOATs of this sport, but you cannot overlook the ability and talent we have in the squad.” Opta’s pre-match model makes it close to a coin flip, giving England a 38.9% chance of winning in regulation to Argentina’s 34.1%, with the rest split across draw and extra-time scenarios.
This is just the sixth World Cup meeting between the sides, and the first since 2002: Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” and “Goal of the Century” settled a 2-1 quarterfinal for Argentina in 1986, England lost on penalties after a 2-2 draw marked by David Beckham’s red card in 1998, and Beckham exorcised that memory with a group-stage penalty winner in a 1-0 England victory in 2002. England lead the head-to-head across regulation results, with Argentina’s only shootout win coming in 1998.
The winner advances to face Spain, 2–0 winners over France, in the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium. The result will also shape the Golden Boot race: Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi are tied atop the standings on 8 goals apiece after France’s semifinal exit, with Bellingham and Kane both on 6 following England’s quarterfinal. Erling Haaland’s tournament ended with Norway on 7. Whichever side reaches the final, Messi will have another game to add to his tally — while Mbappé, Bellingham and Kane can each add to theirs in the July 18 third-place match.