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England vs Argentina World Cup Preview - Argentina set for FIFA World Cup final

John Eastwood

Editor

Last updated: 15 Jul 2026

John Eastwood 15 Jul 2026

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England and Argentina both struggled in recent knockout rounds.
Messi's performance could be decisive for Argentina's finals hopes.
Expert pick: Argentina narrowly wins, with Messi likely on the scoresheet.

Expired

Lionel Messi of Argentina (Getty Images)

Lionel Messi has scored 21 goals in 31 appearances at the World Cup (Getty)

England vs Argentina Preview

England were not very convincing against Belgium last time out while Argentina have had their own struggles in the knockout rounds. This should be very tight, but I do feel Messi will play a key role in securing Argentina a place in the final.

Head to Head
England Form
England Predicted Line Up
Argentina Form
Argentina Predicted Lineup

Head to Head

Engalnd and Argentina have met 14 times in history with England holding a 6-2 lead along with six draws.

England Form

England have yet to hit their stride at the World Cup but keep getting it done. Harry Kane scored twice in a 4-2 win over Croatia before an unlucky 0-0 draw against Ghana.

Jude Bellingham opened the scoring against Panama with Kane wrapping up a routine 2-0 win. The knockout rounds have been a real battle, falling behind against DR Congo before two late goals to Kane secured a 2-1 victory.

Bellingham has come to the fore in England's previous two wins, scoring the opening two goals against Mexico. Jarell Quansah’s 54th minute red card made it tense, but Kane’s penalty gave England some breathing room and they held on to secure a courageous 3-2 win at the Azteca.

Thomas Tuchel’s side were below their best against Norway but more heroics from Bellingham got them out of jail. He equalised on the stroke of half-time and bagged an added time goal to seal a 2-1 victory.

The manager thought his side could have performed better but praised the result: "We made life very difficult for ourselves. The result is fantastic but I'm not happy with the performance. I'm impressed with the effort, team spirit and belief to overcome adversity.

"But I am also a football coach and I think we can play better. We had a lot of momentum swings for both teams. We made life difficult in the way we played, sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough."

England Predicted Line Up

Jarell Quansah is suspended with Ezri Konsa and Reece James competing to start at right-back. Noni Madueke is likely to be replaced by Bukayo Saka on the right wing.

England (4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford; Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Nico O’Reilly; Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson; Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane

Argentina Form

Argentina cruised through the group stage, Lionel Messi hitting a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria and scoring twice in a 2-0 victory against Austria. He came off the bench to score in a 3-1 win against Jordan.

La Albiceleste haven’t done it as easy in the knockout rounds. Messi scored first against Cabo Verde but they needed an own goal in Miami to secure a 3-2 victory in extra time.

Lionel Scaloni's side were in deep trouble against Egypt in the Round of 32, trailing 2-0 in the closing stages. Messi assisted Cristian Romero and scored again before Enzo Fernández’s added time goal sealed another 3-2 win.

Alexis Mac Allister’s early goal set Argentina on their way against Switzerland before being pegged back in the second half. Breel Embolo’s red card turned the contest in their favour, Julián Alvarez and Lautaro Martínez netting in extra time as they went through 3-1 in Kansas City.

Argentina Predicted Lineup

Lionel Scaloni could stick with the same side that started against Switzerland. Julián Alvarez should continue up front with Lautaro Martínez coming off the bench.

Argentina (4-4-2): Emiliano Martínez; Nahuel Molina, Cristián Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister; Lionel Messi, Julián Alvarez

Verdict

England v Argentina

These nations have met five times at the World Cup and often produced thrillers. I think this one will be no different, Lionel Messi to follow in Diego Maradona’s footsteps and fire Argentina into the final.

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Graduated from the University of Portsmouth in 2008 with a BA in English Literature before completing MA in Journalism. Began his career as a sports journalist in London before moving to the Middle East to work as a sports editor for national media companies in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Favourite Sports: Tennis, Boxing, Golf.