Jordan Pickford is well used to the biggest occasions with England by now. After back-to-back European Championship finals and after becoming his country's all-time leading appearance maker at a World Cup finals, the Everton hero is no stranger to high-pressure matches. However, the 2026 World Cup semi-final against Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday night arguably tops them all.
Pickford was in goal when England reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, where they lost 2-1 to Croatia. Since then, the Three Lions have experienced the 2022 quarter-final defeat to France and heartbreaking losses to Italy and Spain in the last two Euros finals. But a showdown with World Cup holders Argentina promises to be something else.
Historic Rivalry Renewed
This will be the first time the old rivals have faced each other in a knockout round since David Beckham was sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone at the 1998 World Cup in France. Argentina went on to win that last-16 match on penalties, but Pickford is confident England can avoid similar drama this evening.
“I think you’ve seen throughout the tournament our desire to win tackles, we’ve not got into any scuffles or anything,” said the Everton goalkeeper, who is set to win his 91st senior international cap. “We’ve been very well respected within the game. Decisions go our way, they don’t go our way, we just reset, we go again and we let the football do the talking.”
England's Resilience
Pickford highlighted the team's discipline, noting that apart from Jarell Quansah's red card in the match against Mexico, England have had no suspensions or second yellow cards. “It just shows the mentality we have and we don’t get wrapped up in things like that. We stay focused, we stay together,” he added.
Quansah's challenge was late but not malicious, and England managed to overcome the loss of the former Liverpool defender to beat Mexico 3-2 in their own backyard. Jude Bellingham was the two-goal hero that night and repeated the trick on Saturday with a brace securing a hard-fought 2-1 triumph over Norway.
Golden Boot Race
Bellingham is now level on goals scored in the tournament alongside captain Harry Kane (six each), putting them two behind Kylian Mbappe, whose France side lost their semi-final 2-0 to Spain on Tuesday, and Argentina captain Lionel Messi (eight each), who lead the Golden Boot race. Messi, who turned 39 last month, has shown enduring brilliance in North America once more.
Pickford believes Messi is the greatest but insists Argentina are much more than a one-man team. “Everyone will talk about Messi because he’s one of the GOATs of the game,” said the 32-year-old. “But you can’t look past the ability and the talent we’ve got in the squad - going forward, defensively, togetherness. We’ve got it all there and that’s what we need to put on show on Wednesday.”
Focus on the Task
Pickford emphasized that the team is not dwelling on past battles with Argentina, such as the one made famous by Beckham's red card or Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal in 1986. “I think it’s just solely focus on us as England now and us being at our best to beat another top nation,” he said.
“It’s us against them to get a place in the final, and it’s a game of football. 90 minutes, 120, penalties. We’re ready for anything, and it’s us against them and it’s about who comes out on top. We’re fully prepared for that.”
