Few fixtures in football carry the weight of England against Argentina, and their World Cup 2026 semi-final meeting marks the first competitive encounter between these two nations in over two decades.

England reached this stage by defeating Norway in the quarter-finals, with Jude Bellingham netting twice in extra time to secure the win. It is only the third time England have reached a World Cup semi-final since lifting the trophy on home soil in 1966.

Argentina's path to the last four was far from straightforward. Having been pushed to extra time by Cape Verde and coming back from two goals down against Egypt, they needed two more extra-time goals to edge out Switzerland in the quarter-finals.

Tuchel's unbeaten England face their stiffest test

Under Thomas Tuchel, England have not lost a single competitive fixture — a remarkable run that has given supporters genuine cause for optimism. Argentina, however, represent an entirely different level of challenge.

Argentina themselves arrive in fine form, unbeaten across their last six competitive matches. England's own unbeaten run in non-friendly football stretches back to October 2024, when Greece handed them their last defeat.

Argentina's extraordinary semi-final record

To reach a World Cup final for the first time since 1966, England must accomplish something no team has ever done — defeat Argentina at the semi-final stage of the FIFA World Cup.

Argentina have never been eliminated at the semi-final stage of a World Cup. This will be their sixth appearance at that stage, and they have converted each of the previous five into a place in the final.

Their record begins in 1978, when they hosted the tournament. A second-round group stage — which functioned as the semi-final — saw them advance to the final on home soil.

In 1986, they faced Belgium and prevailed 2-0, with Diego Maradona scoring both goals in the second half. Four years later at Italia 1990, they overcame the host nation Italy 4-3 on penalties after the match finished 1-1.

Argentina then had a long wait before their next semi-final appearance, returning in 2014 in Brazil against The Netherlands. That match ended goalless and was again settled by penalties, with Argentina winning 4-2.

Most recently, at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Argentina dismantled Croatia 3-0 in the semi-finals before going on to defeat France in the final via a penalty shootout to claim the title.

Tonight's clash will reveal whether England can finally break that flawless record — or whether Argentina will march on towards yet another final.