32' - England have their first real sight of goal! Jude Bellingham wins a free-kick in a dangerous area, giving the Three Lions a chance to test the Argentine defence. Declan Rice delivers a teasing ball towards the far post, but John Stones can't quite get his head to it. The defender stretches but fails to make contact, and the chance goes begging. And we have the first attempt of the match!

27' - Tuchel is furious on the touchline! Reece James goes down appealing for a foul, but the referee isn't interested and waves play on. England's boss is livid with the decision and is once again deep in discussion with the assistant referee on the sidelines. The frustration is clearly building, and if he isn't careful, Tuchel could find himself in trouble with the officials.

23' - Argentina have a chance to threaten! Alexis Mac Allister goes down after being caught on the shin by Jude Bellingham, and the referee awards a free-kick. Messi quickly gets play restarted, picking out Giuliano Simeone on the right flank. Simeone drives at Djed Spence and whips in a dangerous cross, but the defender reacts well to block it behind for a corner. A promising opportunity for Argentina!

England 0-0 Argentina 

15' - England growing increasingly frustrated despite dominating possession. Morgan Rogers goes down under a challenge from Nicolas Tagliafico, but the referee is unimpressed and waves away the appeals. No free-kick for the Three Lions, though they do at least win a throw-in

10' - It's all kicking off in the opening stages in Atlanta! The intensity is rising with every challenge, and England are left frustrated once again after another coming together sees Argentina awarded the restart.

3' - Tempers are flaring in Atlanta! Anderson is down holding his head after a clash, and the replays appear to show Enzo catching him with an arm. England's players are furious, insisting it was a deliberate elbow and surrounding the referee in protest. But after a brief pause, play resumes with Enzo escaping without a booking, much to England's frustration.

Kick-off in Atlanta! Argentina get us underway, attacking from right to left in the first half. American referee Ismail Elfath is in charge of tonight's contest.

The two teams emerge from the tunnel for the national anthems ahead of kick-off. England's anthem will be played first, followed by Argentina's.

England and Argentina have met 14 times in competitive and friendly matches. England lead the head-to-head record with six wins, while Argentina have three. Five games ended in a draw.

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Some friendly fire among the Argentina supporters with less than an hour to go before kick-off in Atlanta.

Argentina fans fighting between themselves in Atlanta before the semi final. pic.twitter.com/Xo8v0fj0d7

— World Cup 2026 Daily (@TotalFootball) July 15, 2026

Three changes for England from the quarter-final win over Norway. Morgan Rogers comes in on the right wing, while Reece James and Djed Spence take up the wing-back roles as Thomas Tuchel reshuffles his side for the semi-final.

A rare omission for Rodrigo De Paul. The midfielder started all but one of Argentina's matches at Qatar 2022, missing only the quarter-final against the Netherlands, and was also rested against Jordan in the group stage of the current tournament as Lionel Scaloni experimented with his bench.

We have a confirmat that De Paul is indeed on the bench. A second start of this World Cup for Giuliano Simone at the right wing. Just one change for Argentina, who will line-up with a 4-4-2 change.

OFFICIAL: Argentina starting XI vs England!

Giuliano Simeone starts his first game since the group stages. Otherwise, no real shocks.

Thoughts on the team? pic.twitter.com/9TdafV1C84

— That's Football! (@ThatsFootballTV) July 15, 2026

Argentina fans throng the streets of Atlanta. Stunning!

Argentina fans have TAKEN OVER Atlanta ahead of their match vs England pic.twitter.com/0tvwmlXNQI

— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) July 15, 2026

Jude Bellingham ARRIVES! pic.twitter.com/iCAwcJ1p2S

— Polymarket FC (@PolymarketFC) July 15, 2026

Morgan Rogers start on the right wing for England, with both Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke on the bench. 

Ready for Argentina! pic.twitter.com/5fSh9K1tir

— England (@England) July 15, 2026

Giuliano Simeone will play on the right wing instead of Rodrigo De Paul, reports TYC Sports.  Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni hinted at changes to the starting XI on the eve of the clash.

"We might make some changes with the opponent in mind. The idea is to field our best lineup; the lads are in good shape," said Scaloni.

Argentina XI, as reported by TYC Sports: Emiliano  Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian  Romero , Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico; Giuliano Simeone, Enzo Fernandez, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allsiter; Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez

Lionel Messi is just one goal away from becoming Argentina's sole highest scorer at a single FIFA World Cup. The Argentine captain is currently level with the legendary Guillermo Stabile, who netted eight goals at the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1930.

Lionel Messi has an opportunity to take a clear lead in the Golden Boot race as Argentina bid for back-to-back finals. Messi, who is currently joint-top with eight goals, will have the chance to move ahead of France's Kylian Mbappe, whose team exited the tournament following a defeat to Spain in the first semi-final. 

Hello and welcome to NDTV Sports' live blog of the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final between Argentina and England in Atlanta. A place in the final against Spain is up for grabs as two footballing giants battle it out for a spot in Sunday's title clash at the New York New Jersey Stadium. 

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