For all the talk about destiny, resilience and the DNA of the tournament, there is another word that follows Argentina wherever they go in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
lucky.
Whether you think the defending champions have had every chance or have benefited from a remarkable run of favorable circumstances depends largely on the shirt you wear.
But as Argentina prepare to face England on Wednesday night in Atlanta with a place at stake in the World Cup final, one thing cannot be denied: no team in the semi-finals has generated more controversy about how they got here.
Fans coined the nickname “VARgentina”, flooding social media with memes depicting FIFA president Gianni Infantino wearing Argentina’s famous sky blue stripes or pushing Lionel Messi in a toy car towards another trophy. For fans in Egypt and Switzerland, the knockout rounds looked more like a courtroom drama, with the replay review always seeming to end in Argentina’s favor.
Against Egypt in the round of 16, it seemed that Argentina was on its way to elimination. Egypt thought they had doubled their 1-0 lead after scoring one of the best goals of the tournament, but VAR intervened and canceled it out. Argentina came back from a two-goal deficit to tie the match before finding a thrilling winner in stoppage time. Egypt was furious, with players and coaches openly questioning whether FIFA wanted Messi’s World Cup farewell to continue.
And in the quarter-final against Switzerland, Argentina were on their heels midway through the second half after the Swiss had equalized in the 67th minute. Then another lengthy VAR review completely changed the game.
Referee Joao Pinheiro initially booked Argentine Leandro Paredes before a video review determined that Brill Embolo had simulated the contact. Since Embolo had already been booked, the decision became a second yellow card and an emotional red card. Switzerland played the remainder of the match with one man, and Julian Alvarez eventually buried the winning goal in extra time.
There is no denying that the defending champions benefited from three penalties, two opposition goals disallowed by VAR, an own goal win against Cape Verde, and a decisive red card in the quarter-finals. Together, they have become ammunition for critics to float conspiracy theories.
However, within the Argentine camp, luck or intrigues are not part of the vocabulary.
“We knew we would suffer,” coach Lionel Scaloni said. “In Qatar, we were not very experienced, including myself. But now we are more experienced. We know what it feels like when an opponent dominates us, and we get a draw, and we know how to maintain our composure. We will never give up.”
This belief has become Argentina’s identity.
“The important thing is that we keep fighting until the end,” Alvarez said after defeating Switzerland in extra time. “We never stop believing. We have to know how to suffer. That’s how these matches have gone. Knockout matches are decided by the smallest details.”
Midfielder Thiago Almada echoed the same sentiments.
“Our greatest strength is the group itself,” Almada said. “Sometimes you have to suffer, and that happened to us several times during the World Cup. The important thing is that we always found a way through it.”
Jose Manuel “Flaco” Lopez perhaps summed up Argentina’s mentality best.
“To win like this, to suffer until the end, is special,” Lopez said. “This group has the privilege and honor of being the defending World Cup champions. We also have the greatest player of all time on our team, and I think that makes us different.”
England’s path to the semi-finals tells an equally compelling story.
Harry Kane saved the Three Lions late on against Congo. England survived more than 40 minutes with ten men against Mexico. Against Norway, a controversial SkyCam incident preceded Jude Bellingham’s equalizer before VAR erased what appeared to be Norway’s go-ahead goal. Even coach Thomas Tuchel admitted afterwards that his team was lucky.
Like Argentina, England has become a team that does not rely on dominance as much as it determines survival.
Both teams had their flaws, and had to dig themselves out of holes late in the game. Messi repeatedly provided crucial moments for Argentina. Bellingham and Kane have done the same for England.
“This is as big as it gets,” Kane said. “One of the best teams, world champions, in the semi-finals of the World Cup. This is what you dream about when you’re a kid.”
History, controversy and football have always collided when England and Argentina share the same stadium, from the 1966 World Cup to Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ and beyond.
Now another chapter awaits us.
“It’s a competition with a long history,” Lopez said. “But we are professionals. We don’t need any extra motivation after reaching the World Cup semi-finals. Great players live for matches like this.”
Whether Argentina are battle-tested, blessed, or simply benefiting from every bounce the football gods can offer may not be universally agreed upon. Wednesday night offers the champions one last chance to prove that their place in the semifinals was earned, not gifted.
Because against England, they won’t be able to hide behind luck.