England will face Argentina in Wednesday’s semi-final as they aim to reach their first World Cup final since 1966.
Manager Thomas Tuchel says he is not feeling the weight of history as he looks to lead England to their first World Cup final in 60 years with a win over Argentina on Wednesday.
The Three Lions were led by Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane in the 2026 competition, each scoring six goals.
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Remarkably, despite the historical importance of this match, Wednesday’s semi-final will be Lionel Messi’s first appearance against England at the ripe old age of 39.
Tuchel, the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich manager, told reporters in Atlanta on Tuesday that he did not feel any extra pressure.
“I don’t feel any strain. We are feeling nervous and will be nervous, but that’s normal,” Tuchel said.
“What I like is that I feel like the players are really competitive and excited to play this game with a hungry spirit.
“These two shirts are truly iconic. There are historic games, iconic moments, and everyone instantly recognizes the shirts and the players.”
England have not won a major trophy since winning the 1966 World Cup on home soil.
England and Argentina have met five times at the World Cup, most notably in the quarter-finals in 1986, when Diego Maradona scored the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal to win 2-1.
Twelve years later, David Beckham was sent off for kicking Diego Simeone, and Argentina won on penalties.
“I think the players from both countries really understand what that means to them. When a game brings so many iconic moments, it can’t be just a football match, but as coaches we will do just that and focus on what we can make an impact on.”
The German player said he had no intention of using the conflict between the two teams as “fuel” to fire his men.
“We know why we are here and what we want. We expect it of ourselves and have never been shy to say it or dream it,” he added.
“We were in the semi-finals and arrived very hungry.”
The England manager said the entire squad had trained the night before the match and Declan Rice had recovered from illness and was fit to play. Jarrell Quansah remains suspended after receiving a red card in England’s last 16 win over Mexico.
“Big obstacle”
Tuchel said there were “no words” to describe the magical Messi, who has scored eight goals so far and is second in the Golden Boot race behind Kylian Mbappe.
“You can see the unity and you can see that they have experience in tournament football,” Tuchel said.
“They have the same core group of players who have been together for a long time, and they have a very experienced and very good head coach,” he added, referring to Lionel Scaloni.
“We know how big the obstacles will be, but we are ready for it.”
Argentina fought hard to advance to the semi-finals, but England’s path to the finals was not smooth sailing either, with a series of tough matches against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mexico, and Norway.
“This is my first World Cup as a manager. It’s very rare that you go through a tournament and everything goes smoothly from game to game,” Tuchel said.
“We are going to prepare for the best version of Argentina. We expect and demand the best of ourselves.
“We haven’t reached our peak yet, but this game will bring out the best in us. I’m very excited.”
If England beat Argentina, they will face Spain in Sunday’s final, as La Roja defeated two-time world champions France in a controlled battle in the first semi-final.
