Lionel Scaloni insists England-Argentina in semi-final is as much a football match as anything

Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni. (Don Antara - Galih Pradipta - YU - pri)

JAKARTA - Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni insists his country's meeting with England in the 2026 World Cup semi-finals is merely a football match between two teams who are chasing the final ticket.

Scaloni ignored the notion that the England-Argentina meeting was fraught with off-field rivalries, including the context of political conflict.

"This is a football match. We will play a football match against a great national team that has a great coach who I really appreciate and admire," Scaloni said, quoted by Antara from The Guardian on Monday.

Argentina will face England in the 2026 World Cup semi-final at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States, Thursday (16/7) at 02.00 WIB.

The Albiceleste advanced to the top four after eliminating Switzerland with a score of 3-1 through extra time, while England secured a place in the semifinals after defeating Norway 2-1.

The meeting between Argentina and England always attracts attention because of its history in the World Cup. England defeated Argentina in the 1966 World Cup quarter-finals, before the Albiceleste retaliated in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals through a match remembered thanks to Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal.

The two teams met again in the 1998 World Cup 16th round, when Argentina won through a penalty shootout. Four years later, England retaliated with a 1-0 victory in the 2002 World Cup group stage through David Beckham's goal, a result that also thwarted Argentina's progress.

Outside of football, the relationship between the two countries is also often associated with the conflict over the Falkland Islands or Malvinas in 1982. The issue resurfaced during the 2026 World Cup after a number of Argentine fans and players sang songs that offended Malvinas, Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi.

Argentina striker Jose Manuel Lopez admitted that the match against England has a great historical value. However, he ensured that all players would remain professional while on the field.

"Obviously, outside the four lines of the field, this is a match that has a lot of history, a lot of pain, and a lot of things behind it," he said.

"However, we are professionals. We will play it like we play in every game, until the last second, like we showed tonight, giving everything," Lopez added.

Argentina arrived at the 2026 World Cup as defending champions and advanced to the semifinals through a number of controversial matches, from the group stage to facing Egypt in the last 16 and Switzerland in the quarterfinals.