World Cup 2026 schedule on July 16

In the early morning of July 16, England will face Argentina in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup. This is the first time the two teams have met in an official tournament since 2005, and also marks Lionel Messi's first confrontation with the "Three Lions" at the national team level.

This match always brings many special memories in World Cup history. The most prominent is the 1986 quarter-final, when Argentina defeated England 2-1 thanks to Diego Maradona's double.

Before the reunion, England has more grounds to believe in the opportunity to advance. In the quarter-finals, Switzerland created no small difficulties for Argentina when continuously exploiting the space behind the defense. This shows that the South American team still has points to improve even though it is the defending champion.

However, Argentina still possesses many factors that can make a difference. Besides Messi, names like Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez or Alexis Mac Allister all have the ability to decide the outcome of the match.

On the England side, coach Thomas Tuchel is expected to promote his experience in the knockout matches to help the team overcome the biggest challenge since the beginning of the tournament.

If they win, the "Three Lions" will advance to the World Cup final for the first time since the historic championship in 1966.