England vs Argentina: Alexis Mac Allister and Noni Madueke Are Both Full of Confidence

The 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final will pit two global football giants, England and Argentina, against each other at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, early Thursday morning WIB. Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has confirmed his squad feels no pressure ahead of the tie, while England winger Noni Madueke is confident The Three Lions can shut down the World Cup holders.

Argentina arrive at the semi-final stage as defending champions, and are hunting for their fourth World Cup title in the nation's history. Experience performing in high-stakes elite matches will be the primary asset for Lionel Scaloni's side as they take on England's formidable challenge.

"We do not feel any pressure. We have prior experience competing in World Cup semi-finals, and we hope that will work to our advantage," Mac Allister stated ahead of team training at the Atlanta United Training Ground, Marietta, Georgia on Tuesday.

Despite his optimistic outlook, the Liverpool midfielder acknowledged England as an extremely dangerous opponent. He noted he was not surprised that Thomas Tuchel's talent-packed squad had progressed to the final four of the tournament.

"England have an incredible line-up of players, and they are managed by a very good coach. I am not surprised at all that they have reached this stage at the 2026 World Cup," the 27-year-old commented.

Mac Allister stressed that showing respect to their opponents does not mean Argentina will play conservatively. He confirmed every player is prepared to give their absolute all to send La Albiceleste back to the World Cup final.

"We will put in every single bit of effort that we possibly can," he concluded.

England Head Into The Tie With High Morale

England come into this match with full confidence after knocking out Norway 2-1 courtesy of two goals from Jude Bellingham. England international winger Noni Madueke believes Thomas Tuchel's squad has the quality required to halt the defending champions' tournament run.

He went further to state that opposing sides should be the ones worried about facing The Three Lions, not the reverse.

"I think other teams will be more concerned about us than we are about them," Madueke said.

According to the Arsenal player, the England squad's teamwork and cohesion has improved continuously throughout the tournament. The growing close bond between players has also been identified as one of the key factors driving their run to the semi-finals.

"It has been a really good experience so far, as we enter this final week. Now is the time to finish this campaign properly, on a high," Madueke added.

Historically, fixtures between Argentina and England have always produced landmark football stories. The two nations have met 14 times total: England have recorded six wins, Argentina have claimed three victories, while the remaining five matches ended level.

At World Cup level, one of the most legendary meetings came in the 1986 quarter-final, where Diego Maradona scored two iconic goals: the controversial 'Hand of God' and the widely acclaimed 'Goal of the Century', which secured Argentina a 2-1 win on their way to lifting the World Cup trophy that year.

Argentina's most recent World Cup victory against England came in the 1998 Round of 16, decided via a penalty shootout.