Former England defender John Terry has made a bold statement ahead of The Three Lions’ FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final clash against Argentina in Atlanta.
Terry said that England have a “big advantage” being on the right side of the draw, claiming that Thomas Tuchel’s men are superior to the defending champions on paper. For the first time ever, all four top-ranked teams have made it to the World Cup semi-finals. However, Terry feels that facing Argentina will be a much more favourable tie than taking on either France or Spain-the other two semi-finalists.
“On paper, I think man-for-man, we are way better than this Argentina side. I think the luck of the draw being this side rather than playing Spain or France, the other side is a big advantage for us,” Terry said on Sports Uncensored.
Terry also claimed that if England can silence Argentina’s Lionel Messi, they have a great chance of reaching the final.
“Very difficult, even though he’s at the back end of his career, very difficult to stop when he really wants to. He can produce a little bit of magic at any moment,” said Terry.
“If you give him time and space anywhere on the pitch, he’ll be able to do it. So full focus because he’s constantly drifting into areas that make it difficult for defenders. He’s going to be difficult to mark. We can’t only focus on him without being a great side. I think they’ve got really good individuals who have got loads and loads of experience.”
England have netted 13 goals so far in the tournament, with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham scoring six goals each.
Argentina, on the other hand, have relied heavily on their talisman and captain Messi, who is the joint top-scorer in the tournament with eight goals.