England vs. Argentina Lineups Confirmed, Starting XIs for World Cup Semifinal Today

The England vs. Argentina lineups are confirmed for today’s World Cup Semifinal match at 3 p.m. ET. This will be, surprisingly, the first time Lionel Messi faces England in his legendary international career.

Ahead of Wednesday’s match, England is the favorite over Argentina, returning a 1.75x payout to come away with a win on PrizePicks Team Picks.

Let’s take a look at the England vs. Argentina lineups for today’s semifinals match before you make your England vs. Argentina picks on PrizePicks.

Make your England vs. Argentina predictions on PrizePicks now!

{{worldcup_generic_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}

Confirmed England Lineup vs. Argentina for World Cup Semifinals

England Formation: 4-2-3-1

• Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
• Defense: Djed Spence, Marc Guéhi, John Stones, Reece James
• Midfield: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Elliot Anderson
• Forwards: Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Morgan Rogers

England subs vs. Argentina: Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Kobbie Mainoo, Nico O’Reilly, Daniel Burn, Trevoh Chalobah, Ezri Konsa, James Trafford, Dean Henderson

Get our England vs. Argentina prediction and expert picks HERE!

Confirmed Argentina Lineup vs. England for World Cup Semifinals

Argentina Formation: 4-4-2

• Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martínez
• Defense: Nicolás Tagliafico, Lisandro Martínez, Cristian Romero, Nahuel Molina
• Midfield: Giuliano Simeone, Enzo Fernández, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister
• Forwards: Lionel Messi, Julián Alvarez

Argentina subs vs. England: Lautaro Martínez, José López, Nico Paz, Giovani Lo Celso, Thiago Almada, Nico González, Rodrigo De Paul, Exequiel Palacios, Valentín Barco, Facundo Medina, Nicolás Otamendi, Marcos Senesi, Gonzalo Montiel, Gerónimo Rulli, Juan Musso

Make your England vs. Argentina predictions for the World Cup on PrizePicks now!

What England vs. Argentina Starting Lineups Mean for World Cup 2026 Semifinal Predictions

As a result of injuries for England, manager Thomas Tuchel is deploying a new-look back line again on Wednesday. While CB Marc Guéhi has been a mainstay, CB John Stones, RB Reece James, and LB Djed Spence are slated to start in front of GK Jordan Pickford.

Both RB Reece James and RB Djed Spence came on as subs in England’s quarterfinal win over Norway. James was deployed in the midfield, while Spence replaced O’Reilly at LB late in the game.

Anthony Gordon continues to start at LW, and the Three Lions will continue to lean on ST Harry Kane and CAM Jude Bellingham in their attack. Both Kane and Bellingham remain in the race for the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup.

Fitness has been a concern for RW Bukayo Saka since the start of the World Cup, and RW Noni Madueke has been ineffective, so Tuchel is starting CAM Morgan Rogers at RW for the first time. Rogers was productive as a sub against Norway, and his ability to make runs forward makes it clear that the Three Lions want to be more direct when they’re on the ball.

At 39 years old, ST Lionel Messi is currently in pole position in the Golden Boot race, carrying the lowest payout to win the award (1.81x) on PrizePicks Team Picks. Messi has 8 goals scored through his first six games of the tournament.

PrizePicks is also offering a discount for Messi’s shots projection, lowering it from 3.5 to 1.5.

Argentina will be starting CM Leandro Paredes in the midfield again, as he’s been helping control possession for La Albiceleste. Parades leads all players at the 2026 World Cup in accurate passes per 90 minutes (115.1), per FotMob.

After getting on the scoresheet with a goal against Switzerland in the Quarterfinals, ST Julián Álvarez will be making his second straight start for Argentina. If Argentina needs to become more direct and chase goals, they can sub ST Lautaro Martínez to create an attacking trio of Messi, Álvarez, and Martínez.

The lone surprising mover is RM Giuliano Simeone, who will make his first start of the tournament. Simeone started against Jordan to close out the group stage, and the 71 minutes he played in that game are his only action in the World Cup so far.

For a match breakdown — including player picks, trends, key players, and how we’re reading this matchup — check out our full England vs. Argentina prediction article.

{{worldcup_generic_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}

Make England vs. Argentina World Cup Predictions for World Cup Semifinals on PrizePicks

England is having to move players around again on defense amid a long list of injuries. Meanwhile, Argentina is trotting out a similar lineup to their quarterfinals victory over Switzerland.

Now that the England vs. Argentina lineups are confirmed, it’s time to lock in your World Cup predictions. On PrizePicks, you can pick your players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right.

You can also make predictions for game winners, goal scorers, over/unders, and more on Team Picks — now available in 35 states!

Keep it right here with Playbook for continued World Cup picks, predictions, news, and more.