Updated 7m ago
England face Argentina in second 2026 World Cup semifinal: Live updates
Old rivals England and Argentina meet today, with Spain awaiting the winners.
The Athletic Live Team
July 15, 2026 at 12:57 PM EDT
England vs Argentina
England and Argentina face off for a place in the World Cup final in Atlanta, Georgia
The Athletic can reveal Morgan Rogers will start for England today on the right flank, in just his second start of the tournament
Lionel Messi’s Argentina are looking to make back-to-back finals after lifting the trophy four years ago, while England have only once before appeared in soccer’s showpiece game, in 1966
- Kick-off time: 3pm ET
- How to watch: FOX, Fubo (stream free)
- Join the conversation or email: live@theathletic.com
Argentina fans out in force
As at every World Cup match so far, Argentina’s supporters have turned out in huge numbers today
England’s fans have also travelled in impressive numbers, although they are rather outnumbered in this photograph
A special shout-out to the supporter in the Manchester United shirt, right in among the blue and white stripes
Ticket prices soar for England vs Argentina
Ticket prices on the secondary market for England vs Argentina soared this morning
By 11am local time, four hours before kick-off, the cheapest available ticket on third-party resale sites cost more than $3,500, according to TicketData.com. Prices were similar on FIFA’s official resale platform.
That was roughly four times the equivalent price before yesterday’s semi-final, when costs fell as kick-off approached and Category 2 tickets became available for less than $800
Yesterday’s game felt somewhat anticlimactic. Today’s should be anything but
More from Mac Allister: ‘There will be nerves’
Alexis Mac Allister also addressed Argentina’s form at this World Cup
The South Americans have not lit up this tournament. In fact, Argentina has been against the ropes in knockout games against Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland
💬 “Suffering is part of every World Cup. Especially for our families who live through it with us. It’s true that we’ve suffered more than we would’ve liked but this is the World Cup
“That can happen to great teams. I imagine the game will be played with a lot of intensity and there will be nerves on both sides. We understand this is a World Cup and a semifinal
“We’ve played in a World Cup semifinal before and hopefully that helps. But as I said, it’s going to be a really tough game. We really respect (England).”
Mac Allister: Argentina have ‘so much respect’ for England
Argentina and Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allisterstressed on Tuesday that the defending world champions have the utmost respect for England
Despite the cultural and historical tensions surrounding this semi-final, Mac Allister was keen to keep the focus on football
“England do not play with the pace that’s characteristic of the Premier League,” he said. “The weather and other factors are reasons why
“But England are a great team and we have so much respect for them, as we do for every opponent we face. Based on that respect, we’ll do everything possible to advance.”
How do you possibly stop Messi?
Thomas Tuchel joked in his press conference last night that he was considering a “proper old-school man-marking” job on Lionel Messi
But the question of exactly how England stop the greatest player of all time today is a difficult one
As Tuchel acknowledged, Messi “sees stuff earlier on the field”
If Messi alone knows what will happen next and where the space will appear, how on earth do you stop him? Answers on a postcard…
No weather worries under the roof
Today’s match will be played indoors, so conditions will not be a concern on the pitch
Outside, it will be warm and humid, with sunny intervals followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms. The temperature in Atlanta at 3pm will be 86F (30C), with mostly cloudy skies and a 40 per cent chance of rain
By 5pm, the temperature is expected to dip slightly to 85F (29C), with the chance of rain increasing to 60 per cent. Winds will blow from the west at 5 to 10mph.
Typical Georgia summer storm on the way?
The activity is picking up around the stadium
Folks may need to start going inside soon
It looks like a typical Georgia summer storm is brewing
How Rogers could operate on the right
One trait Morgan Rogers’Aston Villa manager, Unai Emery, particularly values is his versatility
Those who worked with the midfielder during his formative years even believe he can play in every position from central midfield to centre forward
Rogers is primarily deployed as a left-sided No 10, starting in the inside channel with a left-back overlapping, or in the equivalent role on the right
He can look uncomfortable when asked to hold the width, so ensuring he has a team-mate outside him when he drifts infield will be paramount for Tuchel
“Wherever I play on the pitch, he still wants me to be me, which is the most important thing,”Rogers told The Athletic in May
“There are more preferred positions I like playing in, depending on the opposition and game, but the fact I’m still allowed to be me gives me more confidence to play in the areas I might be more uncomfortable with, because I don’t have to change who I am or be someone else.”
GO FURTHER
Morgan Rogers on Aston Villa, Unai Emery and pressure: ‘I don’t play football to be boring, to be safe’
Rogers made a great impact against Norway
As England’s quarter-final against Norway headed into extra time, there was considerable concern that the Norwegians looked far fresher than Thomas Tuchel’s men
Those fears were eased by the impact of the later English substitutions, which helped rectify his questionable half-time changes
Morgan Rogers, Djed Spence and Reece James were all excellent off the bench, so it is little surprise to see Rogers rewarded with a start in today’s semi-final
Beyond Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, Tuchel has struggled to find attacking players he can consistently rely on — although Anthony Gordon has improved considerably over the past few matches — so the change appears a sensible one
Rogers handed biggest England opportunity
Starting a World Cup semi-final is unquestionably the biggest moment of Morgan Rogers’England career
He started the 2-0 win over Panama — arguably England’s weakest opponents of the tournament — but has otherwise been limited to substitute appearances
The Aston Villa midfielder has, however, proved to be a reliable attacking option from the bench
It remains unclear whom Rogers has replaced in today’s side, or exactly how Thomas Tuchel intends to use him
But he now has a huge opportunity to demonstrate his quality against an Argentina defence that has conceded six goals in its past four matches
Rogers rewarded with semi-final start
The decision to start Morgan Rogerson the right rewards a player who has worked tirelessly at this World Cup without always being given opportunities from the outset
Tuchel was impressed by his performance off the bench against Norway, when he anchored the midfield alongside Elliot Anderson and produced the shot from which Jude Bellingham bundled in the winner
But the selection also reflects England’s struggle to find a consistent starter on the right. Noni Madueke started in Miami but failed to make an impact in the final third, while Bukayo Saka has produced some good moments without ever looking fully fit
Today, Rogers gets his chance in that key position
Morgan Rogers set to start against Argentina
Morgan Rogers will start for England today on the right flank against Argentina
Rogers has only started one match for England so far at this World Cup. That was the final group-stage game against Panama, when he started in the No 10 role as Jude Bellingham dropped back alongside Elliot Anderson while Declan Rice was rested
Aside from that, Rogers has featured in all but one of England’s World Cup matches as a substitute, only failing to feature in the round-of-32 win over DR Congo
Rogers was a key player for Aston Villa in the 2025-26 season, starting 37 of their 38 Premier League matches while registering 10 goals and six assists
So far this tournament, Arsenal pair Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka alternated started on the right of Tuchel’s attacking trio, with the former starting four games and the latter two
One historic run is guaranteed to end today:
- If England win, noInter Milan player will feature in a World Cup final for the first time since 1978.
- If Argentina win, no Bayern Munich player will feature in a World Cup final for the first time since 1978.
An elite coaching matchup
The journey to this point has not exactly been smooth sailing for either Thomas Tuchel or LionelScaloni
But both men have demonstrated why they were so highly regarded heading into the tournament
Scaloni’s legacy as Argentina head coach is already secure, regardless of how their campaign ends, after guiding the country to World Cup glory in 2022
Tuchel, meanwhile, is experiencing international football for the first time but arrived with an outstanding reputation in knockout competitions, most notably after leading Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021
He also won domestic cups in Germany and France with Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain respectively, as well as finishing as a runner-up in three English cup competitions with Chelsea
Both teams familiar with Atlanta venue
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, renamed ‘Atlanta Stadium’ for the 2026 World Cup, is considered one of the finest sporting venues in the United States
As well as being home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, it hosts several major neutral-site games during the American college football postseason. It also staged the Super Bowl in 2019 — more on that shortly — and will do so again in 2028
The stadium has already hosted several matches at this World Cup, including two of the tournament’s most thrilling comebacks, each involving one of today’s semi-finalists
England survived a scare against DR Congo in the round of 32, winning 2-1 through Harry Kane’s goals in the 75th and 86th minutes
Argentina produced a remarkable and controversial fightback against Egypt in the last 16, overturning a two-goal deficit after the 78th minute to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory
Both comebacks required some inspiration from the dugout. And speaking of which…
My purely anecdotal impression of Atlanta so far is that Argentina supporters outnumber their England counterparts by perhaps four or five to one
It is clear how much this game means to the defending world champions’ fans
Perhaps that imbalance could be a positive from a security perspective
All the mingling and interactions I have witnessed so far — admittedly from a small sample — have been good-natured
The fan festival has proved popular throughout the tournament and today is no exception
Although it does not open until 12pm noon ET, a sizeable queue has already formed
Kane has history here
Harry Kanealready had fond memories of Mercedes-Benz Stadium before this tournament. Now he has the chance to make them even sweeter
While recovering from an ankle injury in 2019, Kane travelled to Atlanta with his wife to watch Tom Brady lead the New England Patriots past the Los Angeles Rams and claim a record sixth Super Bowl title
A photograph of a delighted, star-struck Kane wearing a Brady jersey and posing with the quarterback at an after-party quickly went viral
Kane then made his own mark at the stadium with one of his most memorable performances for England, against DR Congo in the round of 32
The Three Lions were staring at the prospect of a shock exit when, trailing 1-0 in the 75th minute, Kane headed in Anthony Gordon’s cross to equalise. He then struck the winner 11 minutes later, finding the top corner with a brilliant right-footed effort
Kane has not scored from open play since, however, so it remains to be seen whether returning to Atlanta will change that
Messi especially offers set-piece prowess
Every time either side earns a corner or a free kick near the penalty area, pay close attention
Argentina have scored four goals from set pieces at this World Cup, excluding penalties — a testament to Lionel Messi’s enduring brilliance as much as anything else
The 39-year-old remains a set-piece maestro, creating three goals from corners and scoring directly from a free kick against Jordan in the group stage
England are not far behind, having scored three set-piece goals of their own, while Harry Kane has also converted two penalties
To the surprise of nobody who has watched the Premier League recently, Arsenal pair Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice have played a significant part, with both excellent from dead-ball situations
Unsurprisingly, England’s three set-piece goals have come through two Kane headers and a Bellingham flick against Panama
