England and Argentina will meet on Wednesday in a big World Cup semi-final filled with years of rivalry. Both teams reached this stage after beating Norway and Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Argentina, led by their star player Lionel Messi, must win against England in Atlanta to keep their dream alive. They want to be the first team to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil did it in 1962.
England, with their strong duo of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, are eager to win. They hope to end a 60-year wait for a major trophy.
The winner of this match will face the winner of the semi-final between France and Spain. That match is happening in Texas on Tuesday. The final will take place on July 19.
This England vs Argentina match comes 40 years after their famous game in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Argentina won that match 2-1 at the Estadio Azteca. Diego Maradona scored both goals. One was the famous “Hand of God” goal, and the other was a stunning solo effort that many consider one of the best goals in World Cup history.
This match also comes during a long-standing dispute over the Falkland Islands, called Malvinas in Spanish. Britain sent troops to reclaim the islands in 1982 after Argentina invaded.
After Argentina beat a tough Swiss team 3-1 in Kansas City on Saturday, coach Lionel Scaloni tried to downplay the politics around the match.
“The message is this is a football game. That’s what I can say,” Scaloni said.
“It is a football game and we will be playing against a very tough opponent. They have an excellent coach, and this is a football game and that’s all.”
That coach, Thomas Tuchel, was upset with his England team after they needed extra time on Saturday to defeat Norway.
England won 2-1, thanks to two goals from Jude Bellingham. This victory sends them to the semi-finals for only the fourth time ever.
Tuchel said his team needs to improve a lot if they want to reach the final. In the hot Florida weather, England's shaky defense let Andreas Schjelderup score first for Norway in the 36th minute.
England got lucky in first-half stoppage time when Bellingham equalised. This goal came after a goal kick from Norway's goalkeeper Orjan Nyland seemed to hit a camera cable.
Norway's players protested, but the goal was allowed. Norway also had a goal controversially disallowed before Bellingham scored the winner in extra time.
“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today,” Tuchel said after the match.
“The result is fantastic. The last four is amazing, but not happy with the performance… we were very lucky today.”
FIFA later said there was “no evidence” that the ball hit the cable before England’s first goal. But Norway's coach Stale Solbakken disagreed.
“That was unlucky for us,” Solbakken said. “The ball fell straight down from the sky, so it changed its direction. But we can’t do anything about that.”
Erling Haaland, Norway's star forward, scored seven goals during the tournament. He said his team’s performance has inspired a new generation.
“How we put Norway on the map is maybe one thing that touches me the most,” Haaland said.
“Hopefully now we can establish something when it comes to Euros, World Cups and everything because our generation is amazing and also all this gives motivation to young people back in Norway that it’s possible to play a big stage in the world with a Norwegian shirt.
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