World Cup news LIVE: Latest updates as England, Argentina prepare for spectacular semi-final

Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live World Cup 2026 news blog on Wednesday, July 15!

The day that England fans have been waiting for is finally here, as the Three Lions renew their fascinating rivalry with Argentina; this time with a spot in Sunday's final on the line.

Should Thomas Tuchel's men end the Albiceleste's defence, standing in their way of glory will be Spain, who defied France's favourites status to prevail 2-0 in Tuesday's semi-final.

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All eyes on Atlanta.

For the first time ever in competitive football, Lionel Messi and England will butt heads, and the stakes could only be higher if the Three Lions and Argentina were doing battle with the World Cup trophy itself at stake.

Tuchel's hopefuls and Lionel Scaloni's champions will square off at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 8pm UK time on Wednesday evening, both knowing that serious improvements are necessary if they are to progress to Sunday's main event.

England have only won all three of their knockout games by one goal and have been forced to come from behind against DR Congo and Norway, although before the 2026 competition began, they had only won one of their previous 23 World Cup games when conceding first.

Meanwhile, Argentina were taken to extra time by both Cape Verde and Switzerland and are yet to keep a knockout clean sheet at the current World Cup, conceding five goals but firing in nine of their own.

Whoever triumphs in Atlanta will book a slot in Sunday's final with Spain after the reigning European champions deservedly eliminated France courtesy of Mikel Oyarzabal's penalty and Pedro Porro's fine strike on Tuesday evening.

Bleus boss Didier Deschamps will therefore contest his final match in Saturday's third-placed playoff, and he will almost certainly be missing Arsenal's William Saliba, who was taken off early in Tuesday's defeat due to a back injury.

Off the pitch, FIFA have once again sparked the fury of fans after it was revealed that the World Cup final half-time show - which will feature Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and BTS among others - could last over 25 minutes; a regular 15-minute half-time break and an 11-minute performance.