Overview
England and Argentina will recreate one of the most classic confrontations in international football history when facing each other in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup. The winning team will not only win a ticket to the final but also have the opportunity to write a new chapter in history.
In the 1986 World Cup quarter-final match at Azteca Stadium (Mexico), Diego Maradona scored 2 historic goals to help Argentina defeat England 2-1. 12 years later, the two teams rematched in the 1/8 round of the 1998 World Cup. Once again, Argentina smiled after the penalty shootout.
That match was also associated with David Beckham's red card after retaliating against Diego Simeone, making the English midfielder the focus of criticism for many months when he returned to wear the Manchester United shirt.
Beckham then made a "blame" at the 2002 World Cup, when he successfully converted the only penalty to help England defeat Argentina in the group stage. That was also the last time the two teams met at the World Cup.
He entered the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup after a 2-1 victory over Norway after 120 minutes of tension under the harsh heat in Miami. Once again, Jude Bellingham became a hero with a double, continuing to affirm his position in the "Three Lions" jersey.
The victory over Norway also helped England reach the semi-finals of a major tournament for the fourth time since 2018 (World Cup and EURO), equal to the total number of times they have done this in the entire history before the 2018 World Cup.
On the other side, Argentina continues to affirm its position as one of the most traditional teams in World Cup history. Only Brazil (5), Germany and Italy (both 4) own more championships than Albiceleste's three titles.
Lionel Scaloni is aiming for the milestone of becoming the second coach in Argentina's history to bring the team to 2 World Cup finals, after Carlos Bilardo (1986 and 1990).
This will be Argentina's sixth World Cup semi-final. Notably, Albiceleste has won all five previous appearances in this round, reaching a 100% rate.
A six-match winning streak at the 2026 World Cup is also Argentina's best achievement in the history of the tournament. In the last 4 matches, they have scored exactly 3 goals and have the opportunity to become the second team in World Cup history to score at least 3 goals in 5 consecutive matches, after France at the 2022 and 2026 World Cups.
Argentina currently has scored 17 goals at the 2026 World Cup, the most in the tournament and is only one goal behind their own record of 18 goals at the 1930 World Cup.
Head-to-head record
In 14 encounters with Argentina at the national team level, England only lost 2 matches, winning six and drawing six. One of those draws ended in a penalty shootout defeat for the "Three Lions" against Albiceleste in the 1/8 round of the 1998 World Cup.
The last time England lost to Argentina in 90 minutes of official play was the controversial 1-2 defeat in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals. Since then, the "Three Lions" have been unbeaten in official play in their last five encounters with Argentina.
Score prediction: England 0-1 Argentina
The match between England and Argentina takes place at 2:00 AM on July 16 (Vietnam time).
