Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has said his squad's deep reservoir of tournament experience will help them stay composed when they face England on Wednesday in a 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal in Atlanta, with a place in the final at stake. The tie represents Argentina's fifth semifinal in their last five major tournaments — a run Scaloni believes breeds a calmness that cannot be manufactured.

Scaloni on the Experience Edge

'We have a little bit of experience playing these games. It doesn't necessarily give you an advantage, but perhaps it makes you calmer,' Scaloni said. 'This is our fifth semifinal as a team and that puts us at ease. The guys are calm and ready for the game.'

The 48-year-old coach, who has been at the helm since 2018, guided Argentina to the Copa America title in 2021 and again in 2024, in addition to the FIFA World Cup triumph in Qatar in 2022. A win on Wednesday would put the Albiceleste in position to become back-to-back world champions — a feat last achieved by Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

Neutralising Kane and Bellingham

Scaloni acknowledged the individual quality of England's attacking threats, particularly Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, while insisting Argentina would not abandon their own identity to contain them.

'We are facing two of the best players in the world, and any head coach would be happy to have them in their squad. We have our weapons, and we're going to do our best to neutralise them,' he said. He added that tactical adjustments remained possible, with the starting lineup not yet disclosed to the players themselves.

Argentina's Game Plan: Possession and Surprise

The coach outlined a strategy built around ball retention and limiting England's opportunities to exploit pace and one-on-one situations in transition. 'The idea is to have the ball, and when we don't, not to suffer as much,' Scaloni said. 'They have great players with great pace and explosiveness, and guys who can beat you one-on-one. We'd like to have the ball, and of course there are some nuances, and we'd like to try to surprise them as well.'

Notably, this approach mirrors the possession-dominant template Argentina deployed en route to their Qatar 2022 title, where controlled build-up play was combined with clinical counter-pressing to suffocate opponents in knockout rounds.

Scaloni's Gratitude — and Hunger

The Argentina boss was candid about the weight of simply reaching this stage. 'A month and a half ago I would have been grateful to get here, regardless of how. I would have signed off on that,' he said. 'We are very excited to be here. We're not looking at how we got here, we're here.'

He was equally clear, however, that satisfaction would not blunt ambition on matchday. 'We've done so much and so many great things that we're used to it. But I want to be clear: we are satisfied and thankful for what we've done. But we will leave everything on the pitch tomorrow to advance.'

The winner of Wednesday's semifinal in Atlanta advances to the 2026 World Cup final, with the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.