The World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina is finally here. And if the buildup feels especially charged, it’s because these two teams haven’t met in a knockout game since 2002. That day, England won 1-0 in the group stage. A lot has changed since then. Argentina won the whole thing four years ago. England haven’t made a final since 1966.
So who wins Wednesday? The pundits are split.
Gary Neville, speaking on The Overlap, made his case for England. He pointed out that this Argentina team isn’t the juggernaut it was in 2022. They barely escaped Cape Verde in the round of 32. They needed extra time to get past Egypt. England had their own scares — DR Congo pushed them, and Norway made them work in the quarters — but Neville likes the matchup.
“This is an unbelievable chance to win the World Cup,” Neville said. “It’s not a vintage Argentina, by any stretch. It’s not as good as the Argentina side from four years ago, but it’s still got danger because they’ve got Messi and an unbelievable spirit.”
Ian Wright agrees with Neville — mostly. He thinks England’s wingers can exploit how narrow Argentina plays. But he doesn’t love what comes next. “If we get to a France or a Spain, I think the level goes to another place entirely,” Wright said. “It’s going to be difficult — it’s the final, isn’t it? But I don’t fear Argentina like I’d fear France or Spain. I think there are a lot of fallacies with them.”
Roy Keane, true to form, poured cold water on all of it. He said England will come up short. “Truthfully, I think they’ll come up short against Argentina,” Keane said. “I think definitely against France. Spain might be different, get the job done against Spain, but I think there’s too much there. I think Argentina would just find something in a tight game.”
That’s the thing about this Argentina team. They’re not dominant. But they find ways. Messi is still there, even at 39. The spirit Keane mentioned? It’s real. They’ve won two straight shootouts in this tournament. They know how to survive.
England has the better squad on paper. More depth, more attacking options. But paper doesn’t win semifinals. Ask Belgium. Ask Brazil. Ask any team that looked better on paper and went home early.
This one feels like it could go either way. Neville thinks England finally breaks through. Keane thinks Argentina’s experience wins out. Wright is somewhere in between, rooting for England but already worried about the final.
Kickoff is Wednesday night. We’ll know soon enough.
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