2026 World Cup Picks & Predictions: England vs. Argentina
The defending World Cup champs have had three consecutive close calls, but Lionel Messi and Argentina are just one win away from back-to-back finals appearances. All that stands in their way is Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, and England. Can the English advance to their first World Cup final since 1966, or will the Argentinians keep their magical run going?
Here are the best picks & predictions for the England vs. Argentina semifinal match being played on July 15.
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Wednesday’s Best 2026 World Cup Picks & Predictions: England vs. Argentina
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
England vs. Argentina
Before making a pick for this game, I need to highlight the play of two of this game’s three major stars. Messi failed to score against Switzerland, but he still recorded an assist and four shots. Messi now has at least four shots in all five matches he's started at this World Cup. In fact, he has 31 shots in those five games, an average of just over six per game.
While Messi has certainly been carrying Argentina, Kane and Bellingham have shared the workload for England. However, Bellingham has scored twice in each of his last two games. While I don’t love Bellingham to score, I do love him to put a few shots on target. He has at least two in his last three games. The only time he failed to put a shot on net, England was shut out by Ghana.
While both of these defenses are talented, the prices being offered for Messi to record at least four shots and Bellingham to put two shots on target are too good to pass up. These two players have been incredibly consistent, and oddsmakers aren't even asking them to go above and beyond in this contest.
Picks: Lionel Messi 4+ Shots (-105) & Jude Bellingham 2+ Shots on Target (+230)
Now for who's going to win this game. Argentina has struggled during the knockout stage. Two of Argentina's three matches have gone to extra time, while the other required a miraculous two-goal comeback over Egypt. While it's impressive that the Argentines have managed to win every game, England's much better than any other team they've faced thus far.
England has scored multiple goals in all but one World Cup match. Four of those five performances came in regular time. Meanwhile, Argentina has scored more than once during regulation only once during the knockout round. While this is a team averaging 2.83 goals per game, they've scored twice in extra time in two of their last three contests.
With where things stand entering this match, England feels like the more well-rounded team. The English just totally shut down Norway's offense. Additionally, their own offense seems to have broken out of the funk that permeated through the final two group stage matches and into the Round of 32. With Kane and Bellingham playing at such a high level, I'm backing England to win this in regulation.
Pick: England in Regulation (+160)
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.