​England vs. Argentina rivalry renewed: Our staff from both countries weighs in on World Cup semifinal originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.England and Argentina renew a historic World Cup rivalry on Wednesday as they contest the second semifinal of the 2026 tournament.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe defending champions have not always looked convincing at these finals, but their irrepressible will to win, combined with Lionel Messi’s otherworldly talents, has carried them to this stage.England have also overcome adversity by sheer bloody-mindedness, while their own goal-scoring burden has been shouldered by two star performers: Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.Two evenly matched teams enjoying — and, at times, enduring — very similar tournaments make this a difficult game to predict. So, we’ve gone for some local insight.2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup ticketsAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAgustin Aboy (Content Producer): Eternal football rival.Renzo Desaunet (Content Producer): Kane-Bellingham-Gordon.Mauro Mariani (Senior Editor): Kane and Bellingham.Dom Farrell (Senior Content Producer): Bellingham and Kane.Joe Wright (Senior Editor): It’s coming home.AA: They have Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham playing at an incredible level, surrounded by a squad built to create scoring opportunities for both of them. They’ve also shown courage in big moments against Congo, Mexico and Norway.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRD: Having two players with a knack for scoring goals in Kane and Bellingham. Like Argentina, they’ve known how to win even when not playing well.MM: England’s biggest strength lies in Kane’s clinical finishing and Bellingham’s strong performances over the last two matches. The team would not still be in contention without the two of them.DF: After the muddle of Euro 2024, where England still showed plenty of fine qualities to scrap their way to the final, Tuchel has brought clarity. Wingers are not playmakers; they pin themselves wide and run beyond Kane. Bellingham is not the new Juan Roman Riquelme, roaming where he pleases; he leaves the grubby stuff to Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson and links with Kane to win games. Simple, but effective.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJW: Creating a system in which both Kane and Bellingham can thrive, not just one or the other. Having one world-class match-winner is important; having two is almost unfair.AA: At various points in the World Cup, they’ve looked like a team lacking creativity, one that struggles to do something on the offensive side whenever Kane fails to get involved.RD: Vulnerability in defense, especially behind the full-backs.MM: Jordan Pickford. He is not a goalkeeper known for winning matches on his own, and the poor performances of the defence have not helped him, either.DF: The fact that John Stones could still play mo