England will look to end its title drought of over half a century in the FIFA World Cup as it takes on defending champion Argentina in the semifinal of the 2026 edition in Atlanta.

The Three Lions have reached the semifinals for the first time since 2018, and will hope to bring the Cup home, with the in-form Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham leading the charge.

Before the semifinal, Sportstar looks at how England reached the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal.

England 4-2 Croatia

Kane struck twice, while Bellingham and Marcus Rashford delivered the knockout blows, as England survived a back-and-forth battle to beat Croatia 4-2 and launch its World Cup campaign on a high.

Dominik Livakovic saved Kane’s first effort from the spot but was ruled ​to have moved off his line early, and Kane made no mistake with the retake, driving a firm shot into the right corner and sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. But Martin Baturina equalised in the 36th minute, whipping a shot into the corner with pace and precision that Jordan Pickford got a hand on but could not keep out.

Kane put ​the Three Lions back on top in the 42nd minute to draw level with Gary Lineker’s World Cup goalscoring record of 10 goals for England. But England’s joy was short-lived as Croatia struck seconds before the ‌break, when ⁠Ivan Perisic’s deft header allowed Petar Musa to run on and slot the ball home.

Bellingham rose to the occasion with England’s third goal in the 47th minute, and then Rashford put the game away with an 85th-minute strike.

England 0-0 Ghana

England failed to find ‌a way through a resolute Ghana side and had to settle for a 0-0 draw – a result which left both sides well placed to move into the next phase but was a disappointment for Thomas Tuchel’s side.

Ghana, which pulled off a last-gasp 1-0 victory over Panama in its opening match, threatened to hit England ​on the break through the ⁠pace of Antoine Semenyo and substitute Prince Kwabena Adu.

But it was England which spurned the best chance of the game in the 86th minute when Nico O’Reilly headed against the bar, and Kane blasted ​the rebound over.

Panama 0-2 England

Bellingham dragged England out of a rainy New Jersey grind, scoring one ‌goal and creating another for Kane as Tuchel’s side beat Panama 2-0.

After a flat first half and a frustrating hour in which England dominated possession without cutting Panama open, Bellingham finally forced ​the breakthrough in the 62nd minute.

Bukayo Saka’s corner from the left dropped into a crowded box, where Bellingham, ⁠despite being held by a defender, wrestled enough space to stab a left-footed finish past goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera. Five minutes later, Bellingham took charge again on the ​left and clipped in a cross for Kane, who rose above his marker to head home.

England 2-1 DR Congo

Kane scored twice in the final 15 minutes to see England through to the round of ‌16 as it left it late to fight back and overcome a dogged Democratic Republic of Congo 2-1.

Kane produced another match-winning performance for his country as the captain equalised with a 75th-minute header before thrashing home a stunning winner four minutes from time after England had trailed for more than an hour of an ​absorbing match.

Mexico 2-3 England

Bellingham put England ahead with a superb diving header from Saka’s cross just past the half-hour and made it 2-0 within two minutes after another break down the right with captain Kane providing the assist.

The Mexican crowd responded with chants of “Yes we can”, and their players responded when ​livewire winger Julian Quinones volleyed home inside the box after a scramble following a free kick to get the hosts back into the match.

Kane calmly scored from the spot on the hour mark, but gave away a penalty nine minutes later, which Raul Gimenez converted as the tight contest ended 3-2 in England’s favour.

Norway 1-2 England

Bellingham scored twice, including the extra-time winner, as England ground out a 2-1 victory over a battling Norway side.

The teams were locked up 1-1 at the end of regulation time after Andreas Schjelderup had opened the scoring for Norway with a wonder strike in the 36th minute ‌and Bellingham skipped into the area to equalise just before halftime.

Three minutes into extra time, though, Morgan Rogers fired a long-range shot at the Norwegian goal that Orjan Nyland could only parry and Bellingham stole in to bury the rebound, delighting the white-shirted fans in the crowd of 64,478.

Published on Jul 15, 2026