England's World Cup opponents: Argentina in profile

England will meet Argentina for the first time in 21 years when they go head-to-head in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals in Atlanta.

Wednesday’s meeting will be the latest installment of the England-Argentina rivalry at the World Cup, with the two nations having clashed five times on the world stage previously.

They met in 1962, 1966, 1986, 1998 and 2002, with England coming out on top in their last meeting in Japan thanks to David Beckham’s penalty.

Argentina are the reigning World Champions having triumphed in Qatar four years ago, which was their third World Cup triumph and first in 36 years.

England have played 14 times since their first meeting back in 1951, with the Three Lions winning on six occasions, drawing five and losing three (once on penalties).

Head coach: Lionel Scaloni

Last meeting: England 3-2 Argentina, 10 November 2005

The head coach

Lionel Scaloni has been in the Argentina’ hotseat since 2018 after initially taking charge on an interim basis, before being appointed permanently later that year.

The former defender played for Argentina seven times during his playing days, including at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany. At club level, he spent time with Deportivo La Coruña, Lazio, Atalanta and English side West Ham United.

Scaloni has led Argentina to one of the most successful periods in nation’s history. He won the 2021 and 2024 Copa América titles, the 2022 World Cup and the 2022 Finalissima.

The 48 year old typically opts for a flexible 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 formation, with an emphasis on defensive organisation, aggressive pressing and quick transitions.

Key players to watch

As the reigning World Champions, Argentina boast one of the most talented squads at the tournament.

They are led by Argentina legend and captain Lionel Messi, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

Messi, who lifted the World Cup in 2022, has scored a tournament-leading eight goals and is tied with France striker Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot.

Messi is often deployed alongside Lautaro Martinez, the Inter Milan striker who has netted 22 times for the Italian side this season.

The 28 year old has grabbed one of the six Argentina goals not scored by Messi in North America.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Emiliano Martinez has been a rock for Argentina in previous tournaments.

The goalkeeper is a two-time Yashin Trophy winner - which he won in 2023 and 2024 - a prestigious individual accolade which is presented at the annual Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Recent results

Like England, Argentina progressed to the semi-finals of the World Cup in extra time. After a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in 90 minutes, Julian Alvarez curled in a spectacular second for the South American side, and Lautaro Martinez sealed the 3-1 win.

In the Round of 16, they pulled off a dramatic World Cup comeback to battle from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2.

They were trailing by two goals in the 79th minute, with their three goals coming within 13 minutes of each other.

Before that, they were surprisingly taken to extra time by World Cup debutants Cape Verde in the Round of 32, before an own goal eventually saw Scaloni’s side advance with a 3-2 victory.

In the group stages, they beat Algeria, Austria and Jordan, and are the only side in the tournament alongside France with a 100% record (including extra time).

Argentina's World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid)

Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon)

Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg)

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Paz (Como), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid)