England and Argentina Renew Historic World Cup Rivalry as Messi Faces Kane, Bellingham in Semifinal

ATLANTA — England and Argentina meet Wednesday in a World Cup semifinal that revives one of soccer's oldest and most storied rivalries, bringing together Lionel Messi and England's dynamic scoring duo of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham with a place in Sunday's final on the line.

The match kicks off at 3 p.m. ET at Atlanta Stadium, also known as Mercedes-Benz Stadium, marking the sixth World Cup meeting between the two nations and the first in 24 years. The winner will advance to Sunday's final in New Jersey to face either France or Spain for the championship.

A Rivalry Steeped in Controversy

Few fixtures in World Cup history carry the historical weight of England versus Argentina. The rivalry is forever tied to Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal during the 1986 quarterfinal, along with David Beckham's red card for kicking Diego Simeone during their dramatic 1998 round-of-16 clash. England holds a narrow edge in their World Cup head-to-head history, with three wins to Argentina's two across their five previous meetings on the tournament's biggest stage.

Wednesday's match also marks uncharted territory for one of the sport's greatest players. At 39 years old and playing in his sixth World Cup, Messi has never faced England in more than 200 international appearances, adding a fresh layer of intrigue to the historic rivalry.

Golden Boot Race Adds Extra Stakes

Beyond the semifinal berth on the line, Wednesday's match doubles as a direct battle for the tournament's Golden Boot. Messi leads the race with eight goals, tied with France's Kylian Mbappé for the tournament's high mark, while Kane and Bellingham each sit one goal behind with six apiece.

Remarkably, it marks the first time in men's World Cup history that two players from the same country have each scored six or more goals in the same tournament. Kane and Bellingham have combined for 12 of England's 13 total goals this tournament, an extraordinary level of reliance on two players that mirrors Argentina's own dependence on Messi, who has personally scored eight of his team's tournament-leading 17 goals.

Contrasting Paths to the Semifinal

The two teams have arrived at this stage through very different routes. Argentina, the defending champions seeking to become the first team to repeat as World Cup winners since Brazil in 1962, has needed extra time in two of its knockout matches, requiring additional time to get past Cape Verde in the round of 32 before rallying from a two-goal deficit against Egypt in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Argentina needed extra time again to beat 10-man Switzerland 3-1, with Julián Álvarez scoring the decisive goal in the 112th minute.

Messi reflected on the significance of reaching another semifinal at this stage of his career.

"Getting to another semifinal is not a normal, mundane thing, so this is something we should really enjoy because we don't know if it will happen again," Messi said.

England's own path has also tested the squad's resilience. The team needed extra time to beat Norway 2-1 in the quarterfinals, with Bellingham scoring both goals to continue his rise as one of the tournament's standout performers. That victory followed a difficult stretch that included criticism from manager Thomas Tuchel, who had earlier described aspects of England's play as "sloppy" following an uneven display.

Key Storylines to Watch

Bellingham enters Wednesday's match on the back of consecutive braces, having scored twice in each of his last two World Cup appearances. According to tournament statistics, only Kane, with four such matches, and Gary Lineker, with three, have more multi-goal games for England at the World Cup than Bellingham now has. Across World Cup history overall, only Peru's Téofilo Cubillas has more two-plus-goal games among midfielders than Bellingham.

Kane, England's all-time leading World Cup goalscorer, struggled in the heat during England's win over Norway but returns to Atlanta, where he scored a brace against Democratic Republic of Congo earlier in the tournament. Should he remain healthy throughout the match, Kane will earn his 121st England cap, which would stand as the most of any outfield player in the program's history.

England does enter the match with some injury concerns. Midfielder Declan Rice, who has been battling illness, remains a doubt for the match, while veteran Jordan Henderson is unavailable due to a wrist injury. Argentina, by contrast, reported no injury concerns heading into the semifinal.

Confidence Despite the Pressure

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford addressed the mounting pressure surrounding the squad's pursuit of what would be the country's first World Cup title since 1966 and first ever won on foreign soil.

"You've seen throughout the tournament our desire to win tackles. We've not got into any scuffles or anything," Pickford said. "We've been very well respected within the game. Decisions go our way [or] they don't go our way, we just reset, we go again, and we let the football do the talking."

A Statistical Coin Flip

Predictive models have struggled to separate the two sides. Opta's supercomputer gave England a roughly 39% probability of winning in regulation time as of Tuesday, compared with Argentina's 32% chance, with the model estimating a nearly 30% probability that the match extends into extra time. Updated projections including extra time and penalties put the overall win probability closer to an even split between the two nations.

Argentina's attacking output has been historic in its own right. The team's six wins so far this tournament mark its longest outright winning run in World Cup history, and Argentina has scored exactly three goals in each of its last four matches, putting it within reach of matching the all-time Argentine World Cup scoring record of 18 goals, set at the inaugural 1930 tournament.

What's at Stake

Whichever team advances will carry significant historical weight into Sunday's final. Argentina is chasing back-to-back titles for the first time since Brazil's consecutive championships in 1958 and 1962, while England is seeking to end a 60-year wait for a second World Cup trophy and its first on foreign soil, powered by a Kane-Bellingham partnership that has already rewritten the record books for England at a single tournament.