Argentina and England players were involved in a heated altercation in the opening minutes of their blockbuster FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final clash in Atlanta. England midfielder Elliot Anderson had a duel with Lionel Messi, after which Messi’s teammate Enzo Fernandez put in a strong challenge on Anderson. The challenge led to a fiery exchange, with multiple players from both teams getting involved. In particular, England star midfielder Jude Bellingham appeared extremely unhappy with Enzo’s challenge on Anderson. The referee then seemingly had an intense chat with Enzo but did not issue a card to the Argentine midfielder. (Argentina vs England Live Updates)
The incident, which happened less than three minutes after kickoff, divided opinion among fans on social media.
A card was warranted for that challenge.
Anderson & Enzo pic.twitter.com/zJdfqzbwKn
— SharpOran (@SharpOranra) July 15, 2026
Enzo hit Andersson in the head, how was that not a red card ???
— Pasi 🇫🇮 (@Pasi_9000) July 15, 2026
Enzo Fernandez hitting Anderson in the back of the head without a yellow card is an absolute disgrace.
— afcnewsroom (@afcnewsroom) July 15, 2026
🚨 LIONEL MESSI DOES NOT THINK ENZO MADE ANY FOUL ON ELLIOT ANDERSON! 😳
🏴 England 0-0 Argentina 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/vd6g4MZShy
— Polymarket FC (@PolymarketFC) July 15, 2026
ENZO FERNANDES WITH A NASTY CHALLENGE TO ANDERSON. NO CARD SHOWN YET. THIS GAME IS GOING TO GET DIRTY. pic.twitter.com/qkbE5r9V2m
— Tridev Gurung (@tridevgurung) July 15, 2026
England and Argentina made key changes for their World Cup semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday.
England coach Thomas Tuchel called in Morgan Rogers in place of Noni Madueke on the right wing and also handed starts to Reece James and Djed Spence in defence.
Ezri Konsa and Nico O’Reilly were benched.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni made just one change, picking Giuliano Simeone in midfield ahead of Rodrigo De Paul.
England: Jordan Pickford; Reece James, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Djed Spence; Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham; Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane.
Argentina: Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico; Giuliano Simeone, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister; Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez.
The game sees England and Argentina resume one of the fiercest rivalries in international football.
The two teams meet in Atlanta, and the winner will play Spain in the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday.
“I mean, the two shirts are just iconic, and the historic matches are iconic,” Tuchel said.
The World Cup rivalry between the nations dates back to 1962, but it was England’s 1-0 win in the quarter-finals four years later that saw it intensify. Argentina captain Antonio Rattin, whose death was announced on Saturday, was sent off in a bad-tempered match. England went on to win the World Cup for the first, and still the only, time in its history.
Twenty years later in Mexico, Diego Maradona scored the infamous “Hand of God” goal that helped Argentina to a 2-1 win in the quarter-finals on the way to becoming world champions for a second time.
That game also saw Maradona score what many believe to be the greatest World Cup goal ever when he dribbled the ball from the halfway line before beating England goalkeeper Peter Shilton.
“That will be forever in our hearts. It was just such a beautiful goal,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “Anybody who loves football will remember that in the best way possible.”
England felt aggrieved again in 1998 when David Beckham was sent off for kicking out at Argentina midfielder Diego Simeone before England lost the round-of-16 game on penalties.
Beckham got his revenge four years later by scoring a penalty in a 1-0 win that contributed to Argentina being eliminated at the group stage.
Given the heated rivalry, Tuchel has tried to manage the emotions of his players ahead of the semi-final.
“If a fixture provides so many iconic moments, you cannot just say it’s another football match, but as a coach we do exactly that,” he said. “We don’t speak about the historic events. We don’t speak about the iconic moments.”
Neither team has had a smooth ride to the semi-finals.
Argentina survived scares against Cape Verde and Egypt earlier in the knockout rounds and needed extra time to beat 10-man Switzerland 3-1 in the quarter-finals.
England had to rally for wins against Congo and Norway after going a goal down. It also endured a physically exhausting game played at altitude and, after being reduced to 10 men, beat co-host Mexico 3-2 in the round of 16.
The seemingly ageless Lionel Messi has been Argentina’s talisman once again, scoring eight goals and providing crucial assists.
England has relied on its big hitters, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. Both have six goals so far, with Bellingham scoring twice in each of England’s last two games.
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