England v Argentina LIVE: Latest World Cup updates as Thomas Tuchel confirms Declan Rice availability ahead of semi-final
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Miguel Delaney15 July 2026 03:00
How England’s rivalry with Argentina made Dan Burn fall in love with football
Dan Burn fell in love with football after watching David Beckham’s dramatic winner against Argentina at the 2002 World Cup and now has the chance to create a lasting memory of his own against England’s great rivals.
“I was 10. I know exactly where I was, I was in a bar called the Cricketers Arms in Orlando because we were on holiday,” Burn said.
“It must have been on quite late because I think it was just me and my dad.
“He used to take us to the pub, so I must have been like 10. And they must have been open late.
“And I remember when the penalty went in, just like the roar from inside.
“I think that was the time when I fell in love with football. I’ve said it before, him scoring that free-kick against Greece (in the final qualifier) was the first time I was like, ‘football’s class’.”

Will Castle15 July 2026 02:00
I’m English ’til I fry!
Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham have been immortalised in a mural back home in Birmingham, outside a chippy no less.
“I did see that,” Rogers said. “It’s really nice. It’s a cool thing that they’ve done.
“Obviously, I know the area and I know the place where it is, so it’s really cool that they can do that for us.
“It’s something to look at and to kind of keep us going as we’re over here and they’re there.
“To look at that on our phones when my mum sent it was a really nice thing to see.
“It just keeps you going, gives you that extra energy that people are supporting back home and what it means to them, really.”
Will Castle15 July 2026 01:00
Thomas Tuchel confirms Declan Rice availability
Thomas Tuchel’s press conference is underway after being delayed due to a late landing in Atlanta – and the England boss has provided the all-important team news we were waiting for ahead of tomorrow’s semi-final with Argentina.
“Everyone is fit to start, except Jarell [Quansah], suspended] and Jordan [Henderson, injured]. Declan [Rice] is ready to start and [had] as good a recovery as possible,” he said.
Will Castle15 July 2026 00:06
Spain secure place in final – will England join them?
England now know who they will be facing for a shot at World Cup glory if they beat Argentina in tomorrow’s semi-final.
Spain have undone the imperious mystique of France, beating the favourites to book their place in the final.
Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro downed the glittering French side, with Kylian Mbappe and co seeing their threat nullified.
Richard Jolly reports from Dallas:
Will Castle14 July 2026 23:01
The most exclusive thing about England’s face-off with Argentina
Will Castle14 July 2026 22:00
From Tuchel’s outcast to England’s kingpin, how Jude Bellingham silenced his critics at the World Cup
Jude-fever. Bellingham-mania. No one has come up with a catchy name for it yet, but it’s happening. A London train stop called Bellingham station has been renamed “Jude Bellingham”. West Midlands Railway is offering free train rides for anyone named Jude. “Hey Jude” is on the playlist after every England win with “Three Lions” and “Wonderwall”, the only player with his own ballad.
Only a couple of weeks ago, this World Cup felt like it would be Harry Kane’s tournament. It could yet be Kane’s pinnacle at the end of an extraordinary season of 72 goals and counting, a tally bettered only once, by Lionel Messi. If Messi is one of football’s deities, then Kane is the greatest mortal ever to do it. Win the World Cup on Sunday, and he will surely end the year on stage in Paris, wearing a shiny suit and holding a golden orb.
But increasingly, this tournament looks like the World Cup of Jude Bellingham. It was his goal against Croatia that sparked England’s best 45 minutes so far, his goal against Panama that broke the deadlock, his rapid double that briefly silenced the Azteca, a feat in itself. Bellingham’s first goal in the quarter-final against Norway was a moment of elite technical skill amid a shower of incompetence, his second a display of heightened instincts that earned England a victory they scarcely deserved.
Lawrence Ostlere14 July 2026 21:30
Argentine war veterans urge fans to focus on football over Falklands tension
An Argentine war veterans federation has called on supporters to focus on football ahead of their World Cup semi-final against England rather than use the match as a platform to push sovereignty claims over the Falkland Islands.
“The semi-final match is a sporting event of global significance, not an armed revenge or historical compensation,” the statement from the April 2 War Veterans Federation read.
“Sovereignty is defended in international forums, through diplomacy, historical truth, and the peaceful and inalienable claim established by our National Constitution.”
Will Castle14 July 2026 20:30
France v Spain: Who would England prefer in World Cup final?
The first World Cup semi-final is just kicking off and England will be watching closely. If they beat Argentina tomorrow, the winner of France v Spain will stand between them and a first World Cup since 1966.
But which of the pair would Thomas Tuchel’s team rather face if they reach the final? Our experts have their say…
Will Castle14 July 2026 20:00
Do it for Justin!
Footballers aren’t the only sportspeople with a stake in the World Cup…
Justin Rose is hoping England win their semi-final against Argentina without the need for extra time so it does not interfere with his preparations for The Open.
“I was kind of hoping for a later tee time,” he said. “I’d take a win on penalties if it happened but obviously we’re looking for a short, sharp match and a reasonable bedtime.
“Obviously we’re going to be watching, but at the same time I’m going to watch it with an eye on what’s important for me as well and not get too high and low and keep my own emotions in check.
“It’s probably a futile kind of exercise, isn’t it? It’s going to be a hard-fought game and it’s going to probably be a nail-biter. I can only try though.
“We’ve got big things as well to do this week, but at the same time, it’s a match where if you think that you’re not going to watch it, you’re probably kidding yourself.”
Will Castle14 July 2026 19:40