Choose your England vs. Argentina Combined XI for World Cup 2026 semi-final

A World Cup 2026 semi-final entrenched in history takes place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday evening, when England and Argentina renew a fascinating rivalry.

Thomas Tuchel and Lionel Scaloni's squads are both brimming with extraordinary talent - at both ends of the age scale - but which players would make the cut and who would be omitted when creating a super team?

Here, Sports Mole gives you the chance to select your England vs. Argentina Combined XI ahead of the semi-final - do not forget to share your XI on socials and with your friends!

England vs. Argentina Combined XI: The biggest dilemmas

Regardless of what formation one goes for - either a two-man strikeforce or a lone number nine - the attack can only be spearheaded by two of the greatest goalscorers international football has ever seen.

Lionel Messi - the all-time leading World Cup scorer - should be the first pick in the XI of anyone using the selector tool, while leaving out England's all-time record scorer Harry Kane would be an act of folly too.

However, if Kane is leading the charge and Messi is operating on the right, there would be no space in the XI for Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, nor may there be for Jude Bellingham if Messi instead operates in the number 10 position.

Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez cannot compete with Kane or Messi up top, but might either Albiceleste man be preferred to Marcus Rashford or Anthony Gordon on the left-hand side?

Further back, Declan Rice ought to be a midfield shoo-in, but selecting his double-pivot partner is far from straightforward; has Elliot Anderson done enough to fend off Enzo Fernandez or Alexis Mac Allister?

Argentina's defence has not been the bedrock of their World Cup success at all, as the champions have conceded in each of their last four games in the competition, so even a partially-fit Reece James may be preferred to Nahuel Molina at right-back.

Nico O'Reilly can also feel confident of securing most of the left-back votes over Facundo Medina and Nicolas Tagliafico, but Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez vs. Ezri Konsa, John Stones and Marc Guehi is another question entirely.

Confidently choosing between two-time Yashin Trophy winner Emiliano Martinez and England number one Jordan Pickford is also a tough ask, but the former's World Cup-winning experience could give him the edge in that head-to-head.