England's biggest match since 1966 as Three Lions close in on immortality

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. England's biggest match since 1966 as Three Lions close in on immortalityImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Head coach Thomas Tuchel has the chance to lead England to their first World Cup final since 1966ByPhil McNulty Chief football writer in AtlantaPublished15 July 2026, 03:05 BSTUpdated 1 hour agoEngland have the chance to take a giant stride towards immortality when they face Argentina in the World Cup semi-final in their biggest match since winning the 1966 final at Wembley. The Three Lions have reached two World Cup semi-finals in the six decades since then - at Italia '90 and then in Russia eight years ago - but this latest edition reignites an old rivalry, adding layers with history and controversial sub-plots. England have lost the past two European Championship finals but, under the roof of the futuristic Atlanta Stadium, head coach Thomas Tuchel and his players have the chance to write themselves into legend by reaching the country's first men's World Cup final in 60 years.

The fact it was standing room only at Tuchel's pre-match media briefing, even though it was moved to a bigger venue, illustrates the scale of global interest in this chapter. Wednesday's match (20:00 BST) is England's latest chance to finally reach another global showpiece - a barrier that has proved insurmountable since Sir Alf Ramsey's side lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966. England v ArgentinaFifa World Cup 2026 semi-final15 July, 20:00 BST Watch on iPlayer Listen on SoundsWatch live on One and iPlayer from 19:00 BST.

The Details

Listen to build-up and full match commentary on Radio 5 Live and Sounds from 18:00 BST. Follow TV and radio coverage, plus live text updates, in-play video clips, post-match highlights and analysis on the Sport website and app. A special team beats brilliant individuals - how silky Spain flattened France Published5 hours ago'Extremely happy' Deschamps gets the farewell game no-one wants Published42 minutes agoTime for England's 'nearly men' to deliverEngland's recent record in major tournaments is good - but not good enough.

Nearly but not quite. The only currency that counts at elite level is trophies, and so far winning one has proved agonisingly beyond this England side. The journey to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals was widely regarded as a pleasant surprise, but ended badly as Sir Gareth Southgate and his side appeared frozen into conservatism after Kieran Trippier gave them the lead after five minutes against Croatia in Moscow, and they lost 2-1 after extra time.

Fast forward to the delayed Euro 2020 final, held at Wembley in July 2021 having been postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. England squandered another opportunity in similar circumstances to the 2018 World Cup - the Three Lions were once again gripped by inertia after Luke Shaw scored in the second minute and they lost on penalties to Italy. This is the same Italy side who have not even qualified for the past three World Cups.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.