sports📡 ESPNcricinfoJul 15, 2026👁 3 views

AI predictions for Argentina vs. England World Cup semifinal

AI predictions for Argentina vs. England World Cup semifinal

AI predictions for Argentina vs. England World Cup semifinal
Jacob Camenker, USA TODAYWed, Jul 15, 2026·3 min read

Editor's note: Follow our LIVE updates for England vs Argentina

Argentina and England are squaring off Wednesday, July 15 with a trip to the 2026 World Cup final on the line.

Argentina will do so after earning its way to the semifinals despite a bumpy knockout stage. Lionel Messi has helped power his country on another deep tournament run, but Argentina has twice needed extra time to knock out Cape Verde and Switzerland while its win over Egypt required a late, two-goal comeback.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Meanwhile, England is coming off back-to-back narrow wins over Mexico and Norway in difficult environments. The Three Lions became the first team to beat El Tri at Estadio Azteca since 2013 and then knocked off Erling Haaland's upstart Norway squad in hot, humid conditions in Miami.

US forward #20 Folarin Balogun (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's third goal during the 2026 World Cup Group D football match between USA and Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 12, 2026. (PATRICK T. FALLON, AFP via Getty Images)
Folarin Balogun #20 of the United States scores his team's third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Richard Heathcote, Getty Images)
Cesar Samudio #12 of Panama fails to save a shot from Giovanni Reyna #7 of the United States as he scores his team's fourth goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Jamie Squire, Getty Images)
US midfielder #07 Giovanni Reyna (R) scores his team's fourth goal during the 2026 World Cup Group D football match between USA and Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 12, 2026. (VALERIE MACON, AFP via Getty Images)
US players celebrate the fourth goal by midfielder #07 Giovanni Reyna during the 2026 World Cup Group D football match between USA and Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 12, 2026. (VALERIE MACON, AFP via Getty Images)
1 / 5

Photos reveal unforgettable World Cup action and emotion

US forward #20 Folarin Balogun (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's third goal during the 2026 World Cup Group D football match between USA and Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 12, 2026. (PATRICK T. FALLON, AFP via Getty Images)

Photos reveal unforgettable World Cup action and emotion

Folarin Balogun #20 of the United States scores his team's third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Richard Heathcote, Getty Images)

Photos reveal unforgettable World Cup action and emotion

Cesar Samudio #12 of Panama fails to save a shot from Giovanni Reyna #7 of the United States as he scores his team's fourth goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Jamie Squire, Getty Images)

Photos reveal unforgettable World Cup action and emotion

US midfielder #07 Giovanni Reyna (R) scores his team's fourth goal during the 2026 World Cup Group D football match between USA and Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 12, 2026. (VALERIE MACON, AFP via Getty Images)

Photos reveal unforgettable World Cup action and emotion

US players celebrate the fourth goal by midfielder #07 Giovanni Reyna during the 2026 World Cup Group D football match between USA and Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 12, 2026. (VALERIE MACON, AFP via Getty Images)

Will Messi be able to power Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup final appearance, or will England position itself for a bid at its first World Cup win in 60 years? USA TODAY asked AI chatbot Microsoft Copilot to predict the outcome of this marquee World Cup matchup.

The chatbot was fed the following queries to generate its analysis for the match:

  • Can you predict the winner of the Argentina vs. England World Cup match?

  • Can you predict who will score and when?

Here's a breakdown of Copilot's prediction for the World Cup semifinal, along with a brief, human-crafted analysis of the chatbot's pick:

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

AI predictions for Argentina vs. England: World Cup semifinal

Argentina 2, England 1

AI's take: Copilot believes the semifinal between Argentina and England will be "a tight match." It noted the margin between the two countries is "very small" but opined that Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni's system – which combines "defensive organization with attacking creativity" – has been "extremely effective in knockout football."

That, along with Argentina's "experience in high-pressure matches," is leading the chatbot to back La Albiceleste to make it to a second consecutive World Cup final.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Our take: Copilot's take is logical, but even the chatbot acknowledged that the match is seemingly a coin-flip. England has been involved in some tight contests, but Jude Bellingham is presently at peak form. Harry Kane has performed well, too, so those two could have the scoring prowess needed to go blow-for-blow with Messi and Argentina.

It's also worth noting that Argentina has had close calls in each of its three knockout stage matches. It needed extra time to beat Cape Verde, a two-goal comeback to dispatch Egypt and benefited from a Breel Embolo red card in its extra time win over Switzerland.

All that's to say that while Argentina is battle-tested, it also is vulnerable. England has the type of attack that can exploit those vulnerabilities, so it's easy to imagine the Three Lions earning a victory and setting up a World Cup rematch of the Euro 2024 final.

AI predicts goal scorers for Argentina vs. England

Surprisingly, Copilot doesn't believe Messi or Bellingham will score in the Argentina vs. England semifinal. Instead, it has Kane earning a penalty kick goal and two Argentinian forwards finding the back of the net.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Here's a look at Copilot's predictions:

  • Copilot also opined Álvarez would be the "Man of the Match" after scoring the match-opening goal against England.

    This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AI predictions for Argentina vs. England World Cup semifinal

    Julián Álvarez (22')

  • Lautaro Martínez (77')