The FIFA World Cup semi-finals conclude on Wednesday the 15th of July as two of international football’s biggest rivals meet for a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final. England and Argentina have both been superb in their runs to reach the last four and we take a look at the match from a betting angle before up a play for your consideration.
England vs Argentina
The Three Lions opened their World Cup campaign with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Croatia before being held to a frustrating 0-0 draw against Ghana in their second group fixture. They responded impressively in their final group match, securing a comfortable 2-0 victory over Panama to finish top of their group unbeaten with seven points while scoring six goals and conceding just two.
Their Round of 32 clash against DR Congo was a tough assignment for the English side. They fell a goal behind early on before Harry Kane struck twice within the last 15 minutes to claim a 2-1 victory and progress into the Round of 16.
England then faced a difficult test against Mexico in the Round of 16. In an open and entertaining encounter, the side surrendered a two goal lead before finding the decisive goal late on to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory and book their place in the quarter-finals.
Their quarter-final meeting with Norway was their toughest challenge of the tournament. Andreas Schjelderup gave Norway the lead in the 36th minute before Jude Bellingham equalised in first-half stoppage time. With the contest remaining level after 90 minutes, extra time was required and Bellingham once again proved the hero, scoring in the 93rd minute to hand England a narrow 2-1 victory and send them into the World Cup semi-finals.
Argentina
kicked off their World Cup campaign with a dominant 3-0 victory over Algeria before following that up with a professional 2-0 win against Austria. They completed another perfect group stage by defeating Jordan 3-1 to finish top of their group with a maximum nine points, scoring eight goals while conceding just once.
Their Round of 32 encounter against surprise package Cape Verde proved far more competitive than expected. Argentina established control early but were pushed throughout before eventually securing a narrow 3-2 victory to progress into the Round of 16.
Argentina were then given another stern examination by Egypt in the Round of 16. In another high quality attacking display, the reigning South American champions once again found enough quality in the final moments to emerge with a hard fought 3-2 victory and advance to the quarter-finals.
Their quarter-final clash against Switzerland developed into another dramatic encounter. Alexis Mac Allister gave Argentina an early lead in the 10th minute before Dan Ndoye levelled matters midway through the second-half. With the scores still locked after 90 minutes, extra time was needed and goals from Julian Alvarez in the 112th minute and Lautaro Martinez deep into stoppage time sealed an impressive 3-1 triumph and another World Cup semifinal appearance.
Head-to-Head
England have enjoyed a slight edge in recent meetings between the two nations, winning two of the previous five encounters compared to Argentina’s one victory, while the remaining two matches ended level. Their most recent meeting came in an international friendly in 2005 where England claimed an entertaining 3-2 victory, while their last World Cup meeting saw England secure a 1-0 win during the 2002 FIFA World Cup group stage.
Those with long memories will recall Argentina knocking England out in the 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico via the infamous Maradona @hand of God@ goal.
Terms and conditions
- The promotion runs from 1 June to 19 July 2026.
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Betting – Click here to bet
England 2.60
Draw 3.15
Argentina 3.00
Verdict
Both nations arrive carrying solid form and have overcome several difficult knockout opponents to reach the semi-finals. England have displayed excellent resilience throughout the knockout stages, edging past both Mexico and Norway in highly competitive contests, while Argentina have continued to showcase their attacking quality by scoring three goals in five of their six matches at the tournament, albeit including extra time in some cases.
With two evenly matched sides packed with World class talent and plenty of history between them, this promises to be another tense semi-final that could ultimately require extra time to separate the teams, but I believe it will be Argentina who come out on top and win the tie.
Some betting angles I am considering:
- Argentina win at 3.00
- Correct Score England 1 Argentina 2 at 13.00
- Match result and both teams to score, Argentina and YES at 6.75
- 3 Way Handicap – Argentina -1 the draw at 4.75 (Argentina win by a single goal)
Note all of these bets are for 90 minutes and exclude extra time
BET: Argentina win at 3.00
Note: All prices are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.
