2026 World Cup: England vs. Argentina—Probable Lineups

The 2026 World Cup has now reached its penultimate stage: after Spain’s victory over France in the quarterfinals, the second finalist will be decided on Wednesday evening in another highly anticipated matchup between England and Argentina. The sixth-ever World Cup matchup between the two rivals will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, at 9 p.m. Italian time (3 p.m. local time). The match, already highly charged in the lead-up, will be officiated by Ismail Elfath, a Moroccan-born referee who has become a naturalized U.S. citizen.

England has defeated Argentina in the World Cup on three occasions: 3-1 in the group stage of 1962 (goals for England by Ron Flowers on a penalty kick, Bobby Charlton, and Jimmy Greaves; goal for Argentina by José Sanfilippo) and 1-0 both in the quarterfinals of the 1966 World Cup (the decisive goal by Geoff Hurst in the match famous for the ejection of Antonio Rattin, who recently passed away) and in the group stage of 2002 (David Beckham scored). The most recent head-to-head match also went England’s way, a 3-2 friendly victory in November 2005 in Geneva.

The Albiceleste, on the other hand, has won only once in regulation time, in a match that is still debated today—the quarterfinal at Mexico 1986: Early in the second half, Diego Armando Maradona scored first with the famous “Mano de Dios,” which went unnoticed by referee Bin Nasser, and then, a few minutes later, with the spectacular “Goal of the Century,” outrunning the entire English defense. Lineker’s goal in the closing minutes served only to set the final score at 2-1. The Argentines then won on penalty kicks against France in the Round of 16 at France ’98, with Batty’s miss proving decisive.

Probable Lineups

ENGLAND (4-2-3-1): Pickford; James, Konsa, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane. Head Coach: Tuchel.

ARGENTINA (4-1-2-1-2): E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, Li. Martinez, Tagliafico; Paredes; De Paul, E. Fernandez; Mac Allister; Messi, Alvarez. Head Coach: Scaloni.