Argentina, England meet in World Cup semifinal on similar paths of survival

For all the talk about destiny, resilience and championship DNA, there is another word following Argentina everywhere it goes at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Lucky.Whether you believe the reigning champions have earned every break or benefited from a remarkable run of favorable circumstances depends largely on which jersey you wear.But as Argentina prepares to face England on Wednesday night in Atlanta with a place in the World Cup Final at stake, one thing is undeniable: no semifinalist has generated more debate over how it got here.Fans have 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 toward another trophy.For supporters in Egypt and Switzerland, the knockout rounds have felt more like a courtroom drama where replay review has seemingly always ended in Argentina’s favor.Against Egypt in the Round of 16, Argentina looked destined for elimination.

Egypt thought it had doubled a 1-0 lead after producing one of the tournament’s finest goals, only for VAR to intervene and erase it.Argentina rallied from two goals down late to tie the match before finding a dramatic stoppage-time winner.

Egypt was furious, with players and coaches openly questioning whether FIFA wanted Messi’s farewell World Cup to continue.In the quarterfinal against Switzerland, Argentina was on its heels midway through the second half after the Swiss equalized in the 67th minute.Then another lengthy VAR review completely altered the match.Referee João Pinheiro initially booked Argentina’s Leandro Paredes before video review determined Breel Embolo had simulated contact.

Because Embolo had already been cautioned, the decision became a second yellow and an emotional red card.Switzerland played the remainder of the match a man down, and Julián Alvarez eventually buried the winner in extra time.There’s no denying that the defending champions ha...