​Forty-eight national teams began their World Cup campaign on June 11 with the aim of lifting the trophy, but only four nations’ hopes remain alive as the tournament nears its decisive rounds. The eight teams with the best records and the richest trophy histories will clash on Tuesday and Wednesday in a bid to secure a spot in the World Cup Final set for Sunday, July 19 at New York/New Jersey Stadium. The competition promises to be a showcase of the sport’s greatest spectacle, and the contenders were ranked by Al Jazeera, which highlights the defending champions as underdogs in this moment of uncertainty.
Among those still in the hunt are Algeria, Austria, Jordan, Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland, a group many might consider an unusually forgiving route to the business end of the World Cup. Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, has not looked entirely convincing on this path either. They were pushed hard by Cape Verde and Egypt in the knockout rounds before advancing in dramatic fashion, a pattern that repeated against Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday night. Argentina laboured for almost the entire game, failing to muster a shot on target for close to 90 minutes after Alexis Mac Allister’s early goal, and only found a way through after 120 minutes in the sweltering heat. Had Switzerland managed to keep 11 men on the field, the result could have swung differently, yet the defending champions still managed to win when they were far from their best.
The question now is whether Argentina can replicate such performances against England. English fans might well ask the same thing about their own team, the Three Lions, whose star players were also well short of their best in the quarterfinals. Messi’s post-match emotions after the comeback win over Egypt underscored how narrow the margin between triumph and elimination had been, and the clash with England is likely to be emotionally charged. If Argentina and Messi, in his first-ever meeting with England, can rediscover their swagger and win, ousting their old rivals from the tournament in the knockout stages for a third straight time, they would carry immense confidence and momentum into the final.
Yet there remains little evidence that such a revival is imminent in the United States this summer. Even if Argentina did turn things around, it is unclear whether that would be enough to gain an edge against the European champions Spain or a France, seeking revenge after their penalties victory over Argentina in the dramatic 2022 final in Qatar. England’s presence in the semifinals offers its own set of questions. Have we seen the best of England at this tournament? Probably not. And yet they find themselves in the last four for only the fourth time in their history.
The latest victory over Norway, though not particularly stylish or convincing, kept England’s progression on track. Manager Thomas Tuchel acknowledged that improving the team’s performance would be essential to sustain success on the global stage, not only for the context of this tournament but for the prospects of the entire campaign. As the semifinals approach, both the quality of England’s performance and the ability to maximize their strengths will be tested to the limit, with goals of reaching the final and lifting the trophy still within reach.