Jordan Pickford: England will remain calm against Argentina, not want to focus on Lionel Messi

JAKARTA - Jordan Pickford says he believes England will be experienced enough to remain calm in the 2026 World Cup semi-final against Argentina on Thursday, July 16, 2026, early morning WIB.

Thomas Tuchel's side have the chance to become the country's first men's team to reach the final since Sir Alf Ramsey's heroes lifted the trophy in 1966.

Argentina stand before the Three Lions and the eyes of the whole nation will be on Atlanta for a game that is sure to be very exciting at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

It is the first knockout meeting between the two countries since David Beckham was sent off for scything at Diego Simeone in England's painful World Cup defeat in 1998, but Pickford said they would try to avoid a similar drama.

"I think you've seen throughout the tournament our desire to win the tackle, we're not involved in fights or things like that."

"We are very respected in this game. A decision in our favor, a decision against us, we just reset, we carry on and let the football speak."

"I think that's what we've done throughout the tournament. Apart from Jarell (red card against Mexico), we haven't had any suspensions, no second yellow cards or things like that."

"It just shows the mentality we have and we don't get caught up in those kind of things. We stay focused, we stay united," the goalkeeper said.

The focus will be crucial in an atmosphere sure to heat up as Argentina players and fans will back Lionel Messi, one of the greatest players in the history of football, to claim a second consecutive World Cup title.

The 39-year-old has been a force this summer as Lionel Scaloni's side reached the semi-finals, but England have their own stars in Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.

"Everyone will talk about Messi because he is one of the GOAT (greatest of all time) in this game."

"However, you can't ignore the ability and talent we have in the squad - in attack, defense, and cohesion. We have everything and that's what we need to show later."

"We can't just talk about Messi either. They are a good team and they are the defending champions. However, we have so much ability in our squad in attack and we are hard to break through."

"We have that resilience, we have that togetherness, and we have that mentality. That's what makes a team good," Pickford said.

England's match against Argentina has a lot of history for many reasons, including Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" in 1986 and Beckham's moment 12 years later.

However, those backgrounds are not too important for Pickford and his team at the moment, who are trying to reach the World Cup final after reaching the last two Euro finals.

"I think our focus as England now is purely on ourselves. We have to perform to the maximum to beat the other top countries."

"This is a battle between us and them to get a place in the final. It's a football game, 90 minutes, 120 minutes, penalties."

"We are ready for anything. It's a fight between us and them. It's about who will win. We are fully prepared for that," said Pickford.

The winner between the two teams will face Spain in the 2026 World Cup final on Monday, July 20, 2026, early morning WIB.