Wednesday, 15 July | Atlanta Stadium
15:00 (Atlanta) | 20:00 (London) | 16:00 (Buenos Aires)
After near misses in 1990 and 2018, England are once again one step away from a second appearance in the FIFA World Cup™ final, although standing in their way are arch rivals and reigning champions Argentina.
England started their campaign with a bang, emerging as after exchanging blows with Croatia in their Group L opener. They followed that with something of a stodgy with Ghana, before making sure they progressed in first place by . Thomas Tuchel's men showed terrific perseverance to recover from a goal down to in the Round of 32, and then had to dig deep with 10 men to find a way in the Round of 16. The Three Lions exhibited similar steel in their quarter-final, coming from behind to thanks to two more goals from talisman .
set the tone for an incredible record-breaking tournament as Argentina got their title defence underway with against Algeria, scoring a hat-trick to become the joint-leading World Cup goalscorer of all time. He soon made that title his own with further strikes in victories over and , before also finding the net in a pair of rollercoaster 3-2 wins in the Round of 32 (after extra time) and . Lionel Scaloni's side needed 120 minutes again to set up this semi-final, with Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez both on target in extra time to make sure of over Switzerland.
England are in the semi-finals for the second time in the past three editions of the World Cup, having lost 2-1 to Croatia after extra time at Russia 2018. That followed similar heartbreak in the final four at Italy 1990 – where the Three Lions were beaten on penalties by West Germany – with their only other progression to this stage coming 60 years ago when they went on to be crowned champions. Harry Kane was also captain for the defeat to Croatia in 2018, and having finished that tournament as top scorer, the Bayern Munich man is among the leading contenders for again.
Tuchel's side are far from a one-man team though, and Kane has been ably supported at the business end of the pitch by the equally prolific Bellingham. Both players have six goals to their names from as many matches – the first time any nation has had two players net half-a-dozen times at a World Cup. Marcus Rashford is the only other player to score so far, although Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka bring plenty of attacking threat and have provided three assists apiece.
Three-time world champions Argentina are aiming to become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962, and are in the semi-finals for the sixth time. La Albiceleste have a perfect record at this stage, progressing to the final on all five of their previous appearances. Messi was also an instrumental figure on their last two semi-final outings, converting his side’s first penalty in the shoot-out victory over the Netherlands in 2014 and then opening the scoring from 12 yards in the 3-0 win over Croatia four years ago.
The World Cup's has yet again provided the focal point for Argentina's attack in North America, but it has been a team effort that has brought them to the brink of history. Seven other players have had their names on the scoresheet, while eight more have provided assists. At the back, meanwhile, the central defensive pairing of Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez has been as combative as ever, while Emiliano Martinez remains an intimidating presence between the posts.
The winner of this mouthwatering clash will set up a date with destiny against either France or Spain in the World Cup final on 19 July at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Pickford; James, Konsa, Guehi, O'Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane
Emi Martinez; Molina, Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Tagliafico; De Paul, Paredes, Mac Allister, Fernandez; Messi, Alvarez
There have been a handful of meetings between these sides at the World Cup, with England claiming three victories to Argentina's two.
England's first two wins came at the 1962 and 1966 editions – courtesy of a 3-1 group stage win and – before fuel was really added to the flames of a burgeoning rivalry with Diego Maradona's famous solo effort and 'Hand of God' goal in Argentina's quarter-final victory at Mexico 1986.
Twelve years later the teams came head to head in the Round of 16 at the 1998 tournament in France. England and Argentina played out a thriller in Saint-Etienne that included a teenage Michael Owen's wonder goal, David Beckham's infamous red card after an altercation with Diego Simeone, and a penalty-shoot-out victory for Argentina after misses from Three Lions midfielders Paul Ince and David Batty.
At the very next edition, the pair were drawn in the same group and played out an attritional affair in Sapporo, as Beckham – by then England captain – avenged the heartache of four years earlier by rifling in the only goal of the game from the penalty spot. The result led to Argentina's first World Cup group stage exit in 40 years while the Three Lions made it to the quarter-finals before being undone by Brazil.
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Standing at over 300 feet high, features a one-of-a-kind retractable roof, first-of-its-kind 360-degree halo video display and has been lauded as the most sustainable stadium in the world. This will be the eighth and final World Cup game played here, with standouts so far including Cabo Verde's historic draw with Spain, Morocco's breathless 4-2 rollercoaster against Haiti and Congo DR's comeback win over Uzbekistan. Both England and Argentina have also played – and come from behind to win – here already, with the former defeating Congo DR 2-1 in the Round of 32 and latter completing a sensational turnaround to beat Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16.
Atlanta United of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the National Football League's (NFL) Atlanta Falcons call this ground home, and since opening in 2017 the stadium has hosted the biggest sporting events in the United States, including the MLS All-Star Game, College Football Play-off National Championship Game, Super Bowl LIII and the FIFA Club World Cup™.
Sources: FIFA Official
