Argentina have booked their place in the 2026 World Cup final: in the semi-final played on Wednesday 15 July, the Albiceleste beat England 2-1, ending English hopes of a first final in 60 years.
For England, it is another exit at the business end of a major tournament. The Three Lions — runners-up at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 and semi-finalists at the 2018 World Cup — were chasing their first world final since winning on home soil in 1966. The defeat came just when the team looked equipped to trouble the favourite: as Alan Shearer wrote in his BBC Sport column, England controlled long stretches but dropped too deep after going ahead, giving space and freedom to Lionel Messi, whose influence turned the match.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel, appointed with the stated aim of winning the tournament, is not being shown the door. Shearer argues against ending his spell: the German, who signed a two-year extension in February, will lead England into Euro 2028, which the nation will co-host. «He did not deliver, but his time should not be up,» was the thrust of the verdict.
