No previous meetings between these teams.
-
1
Lionel Messi8 - 2
Harry Kane6 - 3Jude Bellingham6
- 4Lautaro Martínez2
- 5Enzo Fernández1
- 6Cristian Romero1
- 7Marcus Rashford1
- 8Julián Alvarez1
- 9Alexis Mac Allister1
- 10Lisandro Martínez1
- 1Lionel Messi33
- 2Harry Kane22
- 3Jude Bellingham17
- 4Alexis Mac Allister10
- 5Marcus Rashford9
- 6Lautaro Martínez9
- 7Enzo Fernández8
- 8Bukayo Saka8
- 9Julián Alvarez8
- 10Nico O'Reilly7
- 1Elliot Anderson14
- 2Alexis Mac Allister10
- 3Jude Bellingham9
- 4Lionel Messi8
- 5Cristian Romero7
- 6Enzo Fernández6
- 7Bukayo Saka6
- 8Lisandro Martínez6
- 9Facundo Medina6
- 10Rodrigo De Paul4
- 1Anthony Gordon3
- 2Bukayo Saka3
- 3Lionel Messi2
- 4Gonzalo Montiel1
- 5Rodrigo De Paul1
- 6José Manuel López1
- 7Declan Rice1
- 8Lautaro Martínez1
- 9Alexis Mac Allister1
- 10Lisandro Martínez1
- 1Lionel Messi21
- 2Declan Rice13
- 3Noni Madueke9
- 4Jude Bellingham8
- 5Anthony Gordon6
- 6Lautaro Martínez5
- 7Bukayo Saka5
- 8Alexis Mac Allister5
- 9Harry Kane5
- 10Nico O'Reilly5
- 1Leandro Paredes427
- 2Ezri Konsa404
- 3Marc Guéhi387
- 4Enzo Fernández365
- 5Lisandro Martínez365
- 6Elliot Anderson345
- 7Alexis Mac Allister330
- 8Cristian Romero324
- 9Rodrigo De Paul239
- 10Lionel Messi215
- 1Lionel Messi15
- 2Jude Bellingham12
- 3Anthony Gordon8
- 4Enzo Fernández6
- 5Bukayo Saka6
- 6Nico O'Reilly6
- 7Lisandro Martínez5
- 8Noni Madueke5
- 9Thiago Almada4
- 10Eberechi Eze3
- 1Alexis Mac Allister9
- 2Cristian Romero8
- 3Elliot Anderson7
- 4Rodrigo De Paul6
- 5Exequiel Palacios5
- 6Lisandro Martínez5
- 7Nahuel Molina5
- 8Nico O'Reilly4
- 9Nicolás Otamendi4
- 10Enzo Fernández3
England- Jordan Henderson
- Bukayo Saka
- Jarell Quansah
Argentina- Nico Paz
- Lionel Messi
- Gonzalo Montiel
- Thiago Almada
England vs Argentina predictions for this highly-anticipated World Cup 2026 semi-final showdown point to an entertaining and competitive contest at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday 15th July (8pm UK time).
England are just one win away from reaching their first World Cup final since their famous triumph in 1966, having overcome DR Congo, co-hosts Mexico, and Norway so far in the knockout stages.
The Three Lions now face their toughest test yet against defending champions Argentina, who are targeting their sixth World Cup final, and third in the last four editions of the tournament, as the three-time winners seek to become the first country to successfully defend the coveted trophy since their rivals Brazil achieved this rare feat in 1958 and 1962.
England vs Argentina predictions & betting tips
| Our Prediction | Odds & Bookmaker | Confidence | Why We’re Backing It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jude Bellingham to score | 16/5 @ AK Bets (23.8%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Jude Bellingham has been the driving force behind England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals, winning four Player of the Match awards while registering six goals and one assist, which has fired him into the mix for the Golden Ball award. The Real Madrid star heads into Wednesday’s semi-final in red-hot form after scoring back-to-back braces against both Mexico and Norway, making the 16/5 on offer for him to score anytime look particularly tempting. |
| Score draw | 18/5 @ BetAhoy (21.7%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | There is little to separate the two rivals in their first meeting since 2005, with England installed as slight favourites ahead of what promises to be a tightly contested semi-final. Argentina needed extra-time in two of their three knockout matches, while England were also pushed beyond 90 minutes by Norway, which suggests that another long night could await us all in Atlanta. With goals on the cards, the value play here could be backing a score draw at 90 minutes. |
Odds correct at time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.
How both teams head into England vs Argentina
England
England have navigated their way to the semi-finals with five wins and a draw from their six games to date. The Three Lions opened their campaign with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia, only then to be frustrated by Ghana in a goalless draw, before eventually unlocking Panama in a 2-0 victory, which secured top spot in Group L.
England’s knockout journey has been far from straightforward. Thomas Tuchel’s side appeared to be heading towards a shock last-32 exit against DR Congo after falling behind in the seventh minute, but Harry Kane rescued his country with a dramatic late brace.
England were then pushed to their limits by co-hosts Mexico in a dramatic last-16 clash at altitude at the Azteca. Despite being reduced to 10 men following Jarell Quansah’s 54th-minute red card, England dug deep to cling onto a memorable 3-2 victory.
The quarter-final was an all-European affair against Norway, which saw Jude Bellingham bag a brace as England fought back from behind to win 2-1 in extra time to reach the World Cup semi-finals for just the fourth time in their history.
Bellingham and Kane have been the stars so far, with both players right in the mix for the Golden Boot – and the Golden Ball – with six goals apiece in six games to date.
Argentina
Argentina made the ideal start to their trophy defence after they cruised through the group stages with comfortable wins over Algeria (3-0), Austria (2-0), and Jordan (3-1). During that run, Lionel Messi became the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history, and he’s since extended his record tally to 21 goals en route to the semi-finals.
However, it’s been far from plain sailing for the holders in the knockout stages. Firstly, they were taken to extra-time in the round of 32 by Cape Verde, who they eventually defeated 3-2 to avoid a huge upset.
Then, in the last-16, the defending champions were on the verge of a shock 2-0 defeat to Egypt, only to score three goals in the final 11 minutes to claim a dramatic 3-2 victory, which set-up a quarter-final clash against Switzerland. The countries couldn’t be separated at 1-1 after 90 minutes, but Lionel Scaloni’s side took advantage of their extra-man advantage in extra-time to claim a 3-1 victory to record their 14th straight win in all competitions.
England team news
England will definitely be without defender Jarell Quansah, who will see out the second match of his suspension following his red card in the last-16 win over Mexico. Midfielder Jordan Henderson is also out with a broken arm which is sustained in the celebrations of that victory over El Tri.
Ezri Konsa could be set to continue at right-back after he played there against Norway, but Reece James could be brought back into the starting lineup for the first time since Ghana after he came off the bench against the Norwegians. Djed Spence is another option after he made an impact as a substitute in the quarter-finals.
John Stones and Marc Guehi are expected to start in the middle of defence, but Noni Madueke is likely to be replaced on the right-wing by his Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka.
Argentina team news
Argentina have now played 120 minutes in two of their three knockout stages matches, but there are no fresh injury concerns, so Scaloni is likely to keep faith with the team that started against Switzerland.
This means that Julian Alvarez, who scored a stunning goal in extra-time against the Swiss, should start for the third game in a row up front alongside skipper Lionel Messi. However, Lautaro Martinez will be knocking at the door after he came off the bench to score his side’s third.
Enzo Fernandes, Alexis Mac Allister, and Rodrigo De Paul will operate in the midfield, just ahead of Leandro Paredes. The Premier League duo of Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez will be in the heart of the defence, flanked by Nahuel Molina on the right and Nicolas Tagliafico on the left.
Head-to-Head
England and Argentina will renew their famous rivalry for the 15th time, but this will be their first meeting in 21 years when England edged a thrilling friendly 3-2 after a dramatic late brace from Michael Owen.
The Three Lions hold the advantage in the overall head-to-head record, winning six of the 14 previous meetings, with just two Argentina wins. The last competitive clash came at the 2002 World Cup when, under immense pressure, David Beckham calmly converted a match-winning penalty in a 1-0 group-stage triumph.
Argentina, though, have enjoyed some memorable moments in this rivalry. They defeated England on penalties in the 1998 World Cup last-16, and prior to that won 2-1 in the 1986 quarter-finals. That match saw Diego Maradona score the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal, before producing one of the greatest goals in history just minutes later. Argentina then went on to defeat Belgium and West Germany to lift the trophy.
Prior to that, England claimed victories in the 1962 group stage (3-1) and the 1966 quarter-final (1-0) en route to their first and, so far, only World Cup triumph.
Who will win the latest instalment of this riveting rivalry?
England vs Argentina always seems to be jam-packed with drama, fireworks, and controversial incidents. The latest instalment of this rivalry is unlikely to disappoint as both countries bid to reach the final.
Remarkably, this will be the first time Lionel Messi has faced England during his legendary career, and the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer will be eager to continue his incredible form after playing a key role in his country’s run to the semi-finals.
However, England have their own superstar in Jude Bellingham. The Real Madrid midfielder has been one of the standout players at the tournament, scoring six goals, including match-winning braces against Mexico and Norway. We’re backing Bellingham to continue his goalscoring form into the semi-finals, where he’s priced at 16/5 to score with AK Bets.
Goals could be on the cards in Atlanta, with the clash bringing together three of the leading contenders in the Golden Boot race: Messi, Bellingham, and England captain Harry Kane. With so little separating the two sides, a score draw after 90 minutes looks the value play at 18/5 with BetAhoy ahead of what should be another instant classic.
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