England face Argentina in the World Cup 2026 semi-final on Wednesday, with pundits divided over the outcome. Paul Scholes and Roy Keane disagree, while Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, Troy Deeney, and Chris Sutton back England. Roy Keane is the only one predicting an Argentina win.
Alan Shearer backs England 3-2
Alan Shearer is confident Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane will steer England to victory. He told Betfair: 'England can definitely make the final without a doubt. It's because I do think Argentina concede goals and we will score. So, I'm going to go for an amazing game with England 3-2 to win. Bellingham and Kane to get our goals. They are our big hitters.'
Ian Wright: England will beat Argentina
Ian Wright fears France and Spain more than Argentina. He said: 'If we get to a France or a Spain, I think the level goes to another place entirely. It's going to be difficult – it's the final, isn't it? But I don't fear Argentina like I'd fear France or Spain, because I think there are a lot of fallacies with them. I think we'll beat Argentina – not just because I want us to, but because of the way they play and how narrow they are but our wingers need to do a lot more than what they have done. I think we'll be able to block them and break.'
Roy Keane predicts Argentina win
Roy Keane broke ranks, backing Argentina to reach consecutive World Cup finals. He said: 'Truthfully, I think they'll come up short against Argentina. I think definitely against France. Spain might be different, get the job done [against Spain], but I think there's too much there. I think Argentina would just find something in a tight game.'
Troy Deeney: England win 2-0
Former Watford skipper Troy Deeney forecast a comfortable England win with a clean sheet. On talkSPORT, he said: 'Is this the...worst semi-final we have witnessed in terms of performance? Neither team has played well. There has been a lack of commitment from both sides, and they both have vulnerabilities. One team may lift their game. I am suggesting that this is perhaps the weakest side of the draw, but it could also be advantageous for us, depending on the outcome. I believe we will dominate them... winning comfortably 2-0 because I have observed their performance throughout the tournament. They are not [impressive], and they are aging as well.'
Paul Scholes: Chaos and England win 4-3
Paul Scholes predicted a chaotic match with many goals and cards. He said on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast: 'I think the path for England and Argentina have been very similar. I don't think either team has played that well but they've got through games. I think the biggest thing, the biggest advantage for Argentina, is they've done it before and they know how to win these big games in tournaments. We're yet to prove that. This will be lively, this will be chaos. This could be 4-3 either way, there will be yellow and red cards. If Argentina lose they'll all kick off, that's absolutely guaranteed. And if you lose to them it's horrible. I think we can beat Argentina and Spain but I'm not sure we can beat France. I think we need Spain to beat France. I think our semi-final is 50-50, a flip of a coin. Maybe Argentina are just favourites because of the experience but I prefer our squad of players, that's even taking into account Lionel Messi. I'm going 4-3 to England. It will be chaos – there will be red cards and everything, it will all be going off.'
Chris Sutton: England win, Argentina finish with nine men
Chris Sutton mirrored Scholes' forecast of mayhem and an England triumph. He commented: 'Look, it will be a brilliant tie because of all the history between the two countries at World Cups, with the Diego Maradona handball and the David Beckham red card. The previous meetings have been pretty feisty, and I am expecting more of the same here. I would not be surprised to see some antics from the Argentina players because they love that side of it. They will be happy if it turns into that kind of game, where things get a bit wild and England players might lose their heads. But, if they can keep their cool, I am expecting England to win comfortably - and my other prediction is for Argentina to finish the game with nine men.'
