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England and Argentina will face off in the semifinals of the on Wednesday, July 15, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, with a ticket to the final as the prize.
The winner of this will advance to the grand final on July 19 in New York. The other matchup features France and Spain on July 14 at the AT&T Stadium.
The match revives one of the most intense rivalries in World Cup history: the two teams have not faced each other in a World Cup since France 1998, when Argentina eliminated the English in a penalty shootout. Previously, in Mexico 1986, Diego Maradona immortalized the encounter with the "Hand of God" and the "Goal of the Century."
England reached this stage as the leader of Group L with 7 points (goal difference +4), after thrashing Croatia 4-2, drawing 0-0 with Ghana, and defeating Panama 2-0.
In the knockout stage, the "Three Lions" defeated the DR Congo in the Round of 32, Mexico 3-2 in the Round of 16, and Norway 2-1 after extra time in the quarter-finals on Friday, July 11, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Jude Bellingham was the standout player against Norway with a double in the 45th and 93rd minutes that secured qualification and established him as the team's key figure in the tournament.
Argentina, for its part, arrived as the leader of Group J with a full score of 9 points (goal difference +7), after defeating Algeria 3-0, Austria 2-0, and Jordan 3-1.
In the knockout phase, the Albiceleste eliminated Cape Verde in the round of 32, came back against Egypt 3-2 in the round of 16—with goals from Messi, Romero, and Enzo Fernández—and defeated Switzerland 3-1 in extra time in the quarterfinals, on the same Friday, July 11, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, with goals from Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez.
Argentina arrives at the knockout stage as the strongest team in the group phase— the only selection with a perfect score— while England showed inconsistencies in the initial stage but solidified their position in the knockout round thanks to Bellingham's performance.
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