Numbers, rivalry and a packed Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. England and Argentina meet in a FIFA World Cup semifinal with plenty of history and even more storylines. We dug through Opta data from this tournament and the all-time duel to serve you a clean, snackable pregame read. Expect tempo shifts, clever set plays and two elite creators who live for knockout nights. Follow the match on Sofascore to get live momentum swings, heatmaps and each player’s Sofascore Rating in real time.

Head-to-head nuggets you will use in chats

England have lost only two of their 14 internationals against Argentina, with six wins and six draws. Their most recent defeat in the fixture did come at a World Cup, the 2-1 in 1986 that produced one of this sport’s most famous braces. Since then, the Three Lions are unbeaten across the last five meetings with Argentina, winning the most recent two. The latest came in a 3-2 friendly in November 2005, settled by a Michael Owen double and a Wayne Rooney strike.

This will be the sixth World Cup match between the nations. Argentina have played Germany more often at the tournament, and only Germany, Italy and the Netherlands have a better win rate against Argentina than England do among opponents they’ve faced three or more times.

World Cup archive check: England beat Argentina in 1962 group play and 1966 knockout action, Argentina advanced in 1986 and 1998, while England took a group win in 2002. Across World Cup meetings only, the team duel stands at three England wins, two Argentina wins and no draws.

Another quirky note from Opta: Argentina are without a clean sheet in each of the last five head-to-heads against England. That stat adds a small twist to how both managers may approach early phases in Atlanta.

Speaking of managers, England boss Thomas Tuchel is bidding to become the fourth coach to reach a World Cup final with a nation other than his own, the first since Ernst Happel did it with the Netherlands in 1978. Lionel Scaloni is chasing a second straight final, which would put him among a select group of coaches to do so.

Form guide and streaks coming into Atlanta

Argentina arrive on a 13-match winning run and have won all six games at this World Cup. Each of their last four at the tournament featured at least three Argentina goals, a blistering run that mirrors the best streaks we have seen in recent editions. They have also been first to score in nine of their last ten matches and led at half time in nine of those ten.

England are unbeaten in eight and have won four straight, though they enter without a clean sheet in three. The Three Lions have tended to keep things tidy on the disciplinary front, landing under 4.5 cards in nine of their last ten games.

Corners watch is trending low when Argentina play. There have been under 10.5 corners in ten straight Argentina matches, which often hints at compact defending and a heavy dose of quality transitions rather than end-to-end crossing sprees.

The venue should suit Argentina’s pace-and-passing rhythm but also England’s wide rotations. With both teams comfortable in structured buildup, the first goal feels extra valuable, and the streaks strongly suggest it may come early.

What the tournament numbers say

Attack: England have scored 13 goals from 94 shots, Argentina 17 from 97. England’s chance creation has been a touch more consistent inside the box, with 71 shots in that zone and 25 big chances generated, although 15 of those were missed. Argentina sit at 20 big chances created and 13 missed, but they carry a superior fast-break punch with 12 counterattacks and four goals from them.

Possession and passing: Argentina are averaging 60.3 percent possession with a 90.4 percent pass accuracy. England sit at 57.2 percent and 88.8 percent. In the opposition half, Argentina keep the ball slightly cleaner, completing 87.4 percent of passes compared with England’s 84.7 percent.

Set pieces and delivery: Argentina have scored two direct free kicks in this tournament and hit the woodwork four times. England have yet to score from a direct free kick, though they do force pressure via corners, racking up 35. Crossing accuracy favors Argentina at 33.3 percent to England’s 26.5 percent.

Defense and duels: Both teams have two clean sheets and have conceded six goals. England’s back line has made 149 clearances to Argentina’s 130, but England also have three errors leading to goals compared to Argentina’s zero. In the air, England edge the duel win rate at 55.3 percent, while on the ground Argentina are just above 52 percent, a sign of their counter-press effectiveness.

Discipline and control: Fouls are moderate on both sides at 62 for England and 73 for Argentina. Argentina’s interceptions total is a robust 59, outpacing England’s 30, which again speaks to how quickly Scaloni’s midfield reads play and jumps lanes.

Fun facts, straight from Opta

At this World Cup, England duo Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have both hit six goals. It is the first time in tournament history that one team has two players on 6+ in the same edition.

Bellingham has scored a brace in each of his last two World Cup appearances for England. Only Kane with four and Gary Lineker with three have more multi-goal matches for the Three Lions.

After setting up two against Switzerland, Messi became only the second player on Opta record to make 10+ goal contributions in multiple World Cups, joining Kylian Mbappé.

If he features, this will be Harry Kane’s 121st England cap, the most by any outfield player for the nation. Only goalkeeper Peter Shilton, with 125, has more.

Anthony Gordon attempted 10 dribbles vs Norway, the first England player to hit double figures for dribbles attempted in a World Cup match since Darius Vassell in 2002.

Bukayo Saka is averaging 1.01 assists per 90 at this World Cup, the highest rate for any England player with 200+ minutes on Opta record since 1966.