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- Author, Matthias Ziebell
- Author’s title, BBC Mundo
- Publication date July 14, 2026
Updated 5 hours
Reading time: 8 min.
Like everything in football, Argentina v England at the 2026 World Cup gives rise to varying opinions and interpretations depending on who you ask, and the BBC’s sports pundits are no exception.
For some, like Chris Sutton, the English team will never have a better chance of winning a World Cup semi-final.
“I’d definitely rather face Argentina than Switzerland and I think Thomas Tuchel and the England players will be delighted too; they’ll think they can hurt Argentina.”
For others, such as Andy Cryer, it is likely that Argentina will be considered slight favorites for the match in England.
“The fear of Messi is very real, although English fans also know what other players like (Enzo) Fernandez, (Alexis) Mac Allister, (Julian) Alvarez and co are capable of.”
What they both seem to agree on is that neither team played their best football.
“Argentina’s trajectory in the tournament so far has been similar to England’s. Neither team was considered to be playing particularly well, but their character and spirit were enough to carry them along,” says Cryer.
According to this sports analyst, both teams depended on moments of individual genius: “Messi in the case of Argentina, and (Harry) Kane and (Jude) Bellingham in the case of England.”
Image Source, Getty Images
photo caption, Both teams did not show the level of their teams in the other semi-final.
Sutton, for his part, believes England are nowhere near their best and have reached this stage thanks to some brilliant moments from their players and a fairly favorable draw, but he still thinks they can beat the Albiceleste.
“Argentina are the defending champions, they are an experienced team and of course they have Lionel Messi… but they are a mediocre Argentine team compared to some of their great teams of the past.”
“Messi factor”
“Argentina are a very powerful team with enormous emotional strength and a clear refusal to lose, as demonstrated by their three-goal comeback in the final minutes to beat Egypt,” writes BBC journalist Philip McNulty.
“And then there is the great Messi…” he adds.
At 39, McNulty believes he is still Argentina’s game-changing player and the one England fear most.
“Today, most of his game is played at a walking pace, but his teammates are willing to sacrifice themselves for him because they know what he can do. He can decide the outcome of a match with one action.”
Cryer calls it the “Messi factor” and adds that it creates huge expectations in the UK:
“This is the first time Messi faces England and it is certainly exciting; He’s the player everyone talks about.”
Image Source, Getty Images
photo caption, In his last World Cup, Messi will play against England for the first time.
Advaid Rajan, another BBC sports journalist, recalls that Wednesday’s match comes 40 years after Diego Maradona “almost single-handedly eliminated England in the quarter-finals in Mexico” and that Argentina have another “superstar number 10” for the occasion.
“However, England also have their own iconic No.10 in Jude Bellingham, who has scored two goals in each of his last two knockout matches, becoming the first player to do so since Maradona in 1986, while captain Harry Kane matched his team-mate’s tally this summer.”
For Andy Cryer, Bellingham and Messi are the two stars of their teams: “There is a feeling that one of them will shine with his own light again.”
But as Sutton, who witnessed the Argentina-Switzerland quarter-final match, recalls, it will not be Bellingham who will mark the Argentine star, but Declan Rice, if he manages to overcome the ailments from which he has suffered in recent days.
“The Swiss realized they couldn’t give Messi an inch of space and Granit Xhaka did it beautifully (…) if Tuchel has a plan to stop him from getting into spaces, I think England will have enough quality in the rest of the positions to win.”
Image Source, Getty Images
photo caption, The British do not forget the “hand of God” of Maradona.
Argentina’s strengths and weaknesses
BBC Sports pundits also seem to agree on where England’s opponents’ most dangerous edge lies – from midfield onwards – and Argentina’s most vulnerable area from the center circle back.
“They have great stability in midfield thanks to Enzo Fernandez and Alexis McAllister; for his part, Julián Alvarez is an exceptional talent, although he is often underrated, as his goal against Switzerland shows. He is also a great sacrificer, which allows Lionel Messi to show off his genius,” says McNulty.
“If they have any weakness, it might be in the defensive line: Cristian Romero’s temperament can be unpredictable and Lisandro Martinez’s lack of height is an aspect that opponents can exploit, as Egypt did,” he adds.
According to Sutton, Argentina’s defense is weak both in the center and on the flanks:
“Argentina looked vulnerable on the flanks (against Switzerland). Dan Ndoye put starting right-back Nahuel Molina in serious trouble and ended up scoring. They eventually replaced Molina, but whether he or Gonzalo Montiel play against England, they will have to work hard to stop Anthony Gordon.”
This journalist also doesn’t believe Nicholas Tagliafico on the left flank can cope with the English strikers attacking on that side, be it Noni Madueke or Bukayo Saka.
“Also, in central defence, Lisandro Martinez has made mistake after mistake in this tournament. I’m sure he’ll make some serious mistakes again.”
Image Source, Getty Images
photo caption, England can boast that they have their own superstar with the number 10 on his shirt.
In the history of the World Cup matches between England and Argentina, two memories seem to have remained marked by both sports journalists and English fans: Maradona’s “hand of God” in 1986 and David Beckham’s ousting in 1998 after what they interpret as a “provocation” by Diego Simeone.
“Previous clashes have been pretty intense, and I expect the same this time,” says Sutton. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see some kind of provocation from the Argentine players because they like situations like this.”
According to a BBC journalist, their opponents this Wednesday “will be happy if the match leads to that chaotic scenario where tempers flare and English players risk losing their heads.”
So, in addition to predicting an England win, this journalist expects Argentina to finish the game with nine men.
Statistics of the 4 semi-finalists and the “real final”
In an in-depth analysis of the four semi-finalists, BBC sports statistics expert Chris Collinson highlights some of the most favorable characteristics of the South American team’s performance, as well as its less promising results.
“Argentina, the defending champions, is the team that has scored the most goals (17) and has been the most effective in front of goal, converting 18% of their scoring chances.”
The analyst points out that it is quite possible that there will be a lot of goals scored in the semi-final against England, as neither of the two teams showed solid defensive performance, with two of the four that reached this stage having conceded the most goals (6).
“The fact that Argentina have the worst duel success rate of the four semi-finalists should give England hope that they can continue to take advantage of their aerial game.”
Collinson also points out that the Argentine team covered the longest distance (706.5 km), although this is explained by the fact that they played longer, as two of their three direct elimination games went to overtime.
Taking into account the playing time of 90 minutes, the expert emphasizes, the Argentines are those who have run the least and the least. sprint performed compared to the other three.
In fact, their rivals Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland were ahead of them in all matches played, the data shows.
“It is therefore unsurprising that the defending champions are also the least aggressive when it comes to pressuring the opposition and are less likely to win the ball in the front areas than England, France and Spain.”
Image Source, Getty Images
photo caption, The teams led by Tuchel and Scaloni were the two semi-finalists who conceded the most goals.
“Whatever happens on Wednesday, it promises to be a historic match. A semi-final that will be talked about in England for years to come,” says Cryer, although he admits many of his compatriots believe the “real decider” will come in the other semi-final.
“France showed impressive dominance and Spain showed excellent control of the game; “Both Argentina and England will have to improve their level significantly to face either of these two teams in the final.”
For his part, Sutton believes that “the semi-final between France and Spain should be the final” as the Spanish are the best in terms of the way they play and control matches, while the French have offensive power and talent.
According to this journalist, although England will beat Argentina, it will be very difficult for them to win the championship:
“In my opinion, France and Spain were the two best teams in this tournament; in my opinion, whoever wins this match will win the world championship.”
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