Argentina will compete against England in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, with Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, and Lionel Messi expected to be the match’s standout players. The two teams will face each other on the World Cup stage for the first time since 2002.
England
England booked their place in the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Norway in a quarter-final at Miami Stadium on Saturday, July 11. The hero of the match against Norway was attacking midfielder Bellingham, who scored twice. He also scored twice against Mexico in the round of 16, highlighting his contributions in key matches.
Bellingham has joined teammate Harry Kane in the race for the Golden Boot after scoring twice against Norway. The 23-year-old has scored six goals at the World Cup so far.
However, Norway has captured the attention of the World Cup this year because the team made history by reaching the quarterfinals for the first time by defeating one of the strongest teams, Brazil, in the round of 16.
Argentina’s milestone
Argentina reached a new milestone by advancing to the semifinals of their second consecutive World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium on Saturday.
In the 10th minute of the first half, Alexis Mac Allister headed in a perfect corner from Lionel Messi to give Argentina a 1-0 lead. Winger Dan Ndoye equalized for Switzerland in the 67th minute. Shortly afterwards, Leandro Paredes was shown a yellow card for a tackle on forward Breel Embolo. However, VAR footage showed that the Swiss forward had fallen before Paredes came into contact with him, and, as Embolo had already received a yellow card earlier in the match, he was sent off, leaving Switzerland with 10 men.
Despite playing with 10 men against Argentina, Switzerland took the match to extra time. However, Julián Alvarez scored a stunning long-range strike in the 112th minute to give the team a 2-1 lead. Eventually, Lautaro MartÃnez scored in the 120+1 minute to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Argentine star Messi has won the hearts of fans with his performance at this World Cup stage. The 39-year-old is in second place in the Golden Boot race with 8 goals. But in the same race, French star Kylian Mbappé has scored 8 goals but is ahead due to assists.
The semi-final between Argentina and England will also be held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday, July 15. Argentina will be playing their seventh semi-final that day.
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