England and Argentina will face each other this Wednesday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, in the second semifinal of the , with the last spot in the grand final at stake.
The match is scheduled for 15:00 Cuba time, and the winner will face Spain in the final on July 19 at the New York/New Jersey Stadium, after the Spaniards eliminated France 2-0 this Tuesday in Dallas.
It will be the sixth match between both teams in a World Cup, the first since France 1998, and one of the most historic in the competition.
The most memorable precedent remains June 22, 1986, at the Estadio Azteca: Argentina triumphed 2-1 with the legendary double from Diego Maradona, which included the "Hand of God" and the "Goal of the Century," in a match overshadowed by the backdrop of the Malvinas War.
In France 1998, the match ended 2-2 in regular time —with the expulsion of David Beckham— and Argentina triumphed 4-3 in the penalty shootout.
The overall record favors the English, who have lost only two of their last 14 matches against the Albiceleste, with six victories and six draws.
Argentina: six out of six and 100% in the semifinals
The selection of Lionel Scaloni arrives in a state of grace: it has won all six of its matches in the tournament, the longest winning streak in its history at the World Cup, and it is the highest-scoring team in the championship with 17 goals, one more than France.
In the quarter-finals, the Albiceleste defeated Switzerland 3-1 in extra time with goals from Mac Allister, Julián Álvarez, and Lautaro Martínez.
Argentina has scored exactly three goals in each of its last four matches; if it repeats that number against England, it will match a record that only France has achieved between two editions of the World Cup.
In the semifinals, the statistic is compelling: this will be their sixth appearance at this stage, and they have progressed to the final in the previous five, marking the best success rate in the history of the tournament.
Scaloni can also become the seventh coach to lead two World Cup finals and the second Argentine to achieve this, after Carlos Bilardo in 1986 and 1990.
Lionel Messi, at 39 years old, leads the scoring chart with eight goals and became the all-time top scorer in World Cup history with 21 goals in his career, surpassing Miroslav Klose's 16 goals.
Argentina is also just one goal away from matching its best historical performance in a World Cup: the 18 goals scored in Uruguay 1930.
England: a generation that doesn't want to wait any longer
The Three Lions come with their own statistical argument: they are unbeaten in their last five matches against Argentina, with two wins and three draws.
In the quarter-finals, Jude Bellingham sealed the match against Norway with a double in the 45th and 93rd minutes for the 2-1 victory of England.
Bellingham and Harry Kane each have six goals, making England the first national team in history to have two players with at least six goals in the same World Cup edition.
Kane could reach 121 matches with the national team if he plays in the semifinal, leaving him just three shy of the all-time record held by goalkeeper Peter Shilton.
The coach Thomas Tuchel aims to become the fourth coach to reach a World Cup final while managing a team different from his country of origin, the first to achieve this since Austrian Ernst Happel with the Netherlands in 1978.
England has not contested a World Cup final since 1966, when it claimed its only title, and this generation has the chance to end six decades of waiting.
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