Argentina reaches World Cup 2026 semifinals, to face England in historic clash

Argentina, the reigning world champions, secured their spot in the 2026 World Cup semifinals with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Switzerland in extra time. Goals from Alexis Mac Allister, Julián Álvarez, and Lautaro Martínez sealed the win, with Dan Ndoye briefly equalizing for the Swiss.

Argentina now awaits a semifinal clash against England, who defeated Norway 2-1. This highly anticipated match is scheduled for July 15 at Atlanta's Mercedes Benz Stadium. The encounter carries significant historical weight, as the two nations have not met in a World Cup knockout stage since their memorable 1986 quarter-final, famously decided by Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" and "Goal of the Century."

Both teams navigated challenging paths to reach this stage. Argentina topped their group with decisive wins before overcoming Cape Verde, Egypt, and Switzerland. England led their group with victories over Croatia and Panama, drawing with Ghana, and subsequently eliminated the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico, and Norway.

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The match, which will decide one of the finalists, is scheduled for Wednesday, July 15 at 4 p.m. (Argentine time) at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States.

The semifinal will be broadcast on Telefé, TyC Sports, TV Pública, and DSports, with streaming available on Disney+ Premium and Paramount+. Live minute-by-minute updates will be provided by canchallena.com.

Should Argentina win, they will play in the final on July 19 in New Jersey against the winner of the France-Spain match. A loss would place them in the third-place playoff on July 18 in Miami. Their primary objective remains defending the title won in Qatar 2022, aiming for a repeat championship, a feat only achieved by Italy and Brazil in previous World Cups.

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This duel carries a significant historical burden, as both selections have not faced each other in a World Cup instance since that memorable quarter-final match in Mexico 1986, when the albiceleste won 2-1 with Diego Armando Maradona's most remembered brace in the history of the World Cups: the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century.