‎By Teddy Nwanunobi

‎All is set for two heavyweight semi-final clashes of the ongoing 2026 World Cup, with France facing Spain on Tuesday, and England taking on Argentina on Wednesday.

‎France defeated Morocco 2-0 on Thursday to become the first team to qualify, before Spain joined them with a 2-1 victory over Belgium on Friday.

‎England became the third team to book their place after defeating Norway 2-1 on Saturday, and the defending champions, Argentina, completed the round by defeating 10-man Switzerland 3-1 after extra time on Sunday.

‎The England and Argentina semi-final game is easily regarded as one of international football’s fiercest rivalries, as the Wednesday blockbuster is infused with decades of bitter rivalry.

‎Argentina must defeat England in Atlanta to keep alive their hopes of becoming the first team to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1962. England and their key partnership of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane must win to have any hope of ending a 60-year wait for a major trophy.

‎The winner will take on the victor of France’s semi-final with Spain in the final on Sunday, July 19.

‎The Argentina v England match comes 40 years, after a seismic encounter in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

‎Argentina secured a 2-1 victory at the Estadio Azteca with two goals from Diego Maradona — one the infamous ‘Hand of God’ when he punched the ball into the net and the other a dazzling solo effort considered one of the greatest goals ever to grace a World Cup.

‎But the match will also take place against the backdrop of a lingering sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, known in Spanish as the Malvinas.

‎Britain sent a military task force in 1982 to reclaim the islands after Argentine troops invaded.