England and Argentina have booked their places in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after both nations emerged victorious in dramatic quarter-final encounters that were decided after extra time.

The two football giants will now battle for a place in the World Cup final when they meet on Wednesday, July 15, in what promises to be one of the tournament's biggest fixtures.

Bellingham Fires England Past Norway
England secured a 2-1 victory over Norway in Miami, with Jude Bellingham producing an outstanding performance by scoring both goals for Thomas Tuchel's side.

Norway struck first in the 36th minute through Andreas Schjelderup, whose curling effort beat goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to give the Scandinavian side the advantage.

England responded before half-time after Anthony Gordon released Bellingham with a perfectly weighted pass, allowing the midfielder to calmly finish past Orjan Nyland and restore parity.

At the interval, England manager Thomas Tuchel reshaped his team by withdrawing Declan Rice, who was struggling with illness and injury, as well as Noni Madueke. Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze were introduced in search of a winning goal.

Norway threatened to regain the lead after the break. Torbjorn Heggem thought he had scored, but the effort was ruled out after officials penalised Erling Haaland for fouling Elliot Anderson during the build-up.

The Norwegians also came close when David Moller Wolfe struck the crossbar, while Haaland found it difficult to make his usual impact before eventually being substituted during extra time.

England eventually found the decisive breakthrough when Bellingham reacted quickest after Nyland could only parry Morgan Rogers' effort, completing his brace and sending the Three Lions into the semi-finals.

The victory marks England's third appearance in the men's FIFA World Cup semi-finals since winning the tournament in 1966. Their previous last-four appearances ended in defeats to West Germany in 1990 and Croatia in 2018.

Argentina Edge Switzerland After VAR Drama
Defending champions Argentina also required extra time to overcome Switzerland 3-1 in an entertaining quarter-final played in Kansas City.

Argentina made an impressive start when Alexis Mac Allister headed home Lionel Messi's corner after just ten minutes to put the South Americans ahead.

Switzerland gradually grew into the contest and deservedly equalised through Dan Ndoye, who finished confidently after combining with Ricardo Rodriguez.

The match took a dramatic turn midway through the second half following a controversial VAR review involving Breel Embolo.

Initially awarded a free-kick after appearing to be fouled by Leandro Paredes, the incident was reviewed by the video assistant referee.

Officials later concluded that Embolo had simulated contact, leading to the cancellation of Paredes' yellow card and the issuance of a second yellow card to the Swiss forward, reducing Switzerland to ten men.

Argentina eventually capitalised on their numerical advantage during extra time.
Julián Álvarez restored his side's lead with a superb long-range strike that flew beyond goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, before Lautaro Martínez sealed the victory on the counterattack as Switzerland pushed forward in search of another equaliser.

Semi-Final Fixtures Confirmed
The victory keeps Argentina's hopes of retaining the FIFA World Cup alive and sets up a blockbuster semi-final against England.

The winner of that encounter will progress to the final, where they will face either France or Spain, who meet in the tournament's first semi-final on Tuesday, July 14. Both matches are scheduled to kick off at 8:00 p.m.