Police make urgent security move ahead of England vs Argentina World Cup clash | OneFootball

The Three Lions will compete in their fourth World Cup semi-final on Wednesday night

The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico is just days away from concluding, and now just four nations teams remain in the tournament, including England.

Over one year after replacing Sir Gareth Southgate as manager, Thomas Tuchel has been in the thick of his first major tournament with the Three Lions for the past month, having overcome several on and off-field obstacles to reach the semi-final stage.

Indeed, England's 2-1 victory over Norway at Miami Stadium in the late hours of Saturday means the country is preparing for just a fourth-ever World Cup semi-final, with the previous instances coming in 1966, 1990 and 2018, with the latter being a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Croatia in Moscow.

England have also lost in two UEFA European Championship finals since then, in 2021 and 2024 respectively, and are still bidding to end 60 years without a major international honour.

In what has been the World Cup's first edition to include 48 teams, Tuchel's side have received mixed opinions about their performance levels and results across six games played so far, and that continued to be the case against the Vikings on Saturday, who were under the management of former Wolves boss, Stale Solbakken.

Yet it was ex-Birmingham City academy graduate, Jude Bellingham, who stepped up with his second brace in a week to set up a mouth-watering contest with Argentina in Atlanta in midweek.

It will be the sixth time England have played the reigning world champions in a World Cup, and a first meeting since 2005 in any capacity, and unsurprisingly, police in the States are anticipating high tension with much on the line.

Police on red alert ahead of non-segregated England v Argentina World Cup semi-final

Action Images

England have already played one match in Atlanta Stadium, with that being the comeback victory against DR Congo on July 1st, with the stadium able to hold 75,000, whilst also being air-conditioned amid the intense heat across the Atlantic.

However, after Argentina secured their passage into the last four for a second successive tournament with an extra-time success of their own against Switzerland on Sunday morning, the magnitude of the encounter is arguably the highest it has ever been between the two countries.

It has since been widely reported that local police have already been made aware of significant football and non-footballing events between the nations that could add further fuel to the fire, including the 1982 Falklands War and the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, infamous for Diego Maradona's 'hand of god' goal in Argentina's 2-1 victory at the Azteca Stadium.

The Argentinian players have also been seen referencing the Falkland Islands in victory chants in the dressing room, but have faced no action from governing body, FIFA.

A 50-50 split of supporters, approximately 37,500, is anticipated without segregation, and in the lead-up to the semi-final, Atlanta's Police Department have stated: "As Atlanta prepares to host an upcoming World Cup semi-final match and welcomes increased numbers of residents and visitors, the Atlanta Police Department has enhanced its citywide public safety and security posture.

"Additional personnel and resources are already deployed and will continue to be strategically assigned in and around the event venues, entertainment districts, and other high-traffic areas to help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.

"These proactive measures are designed to protect the public, deter criminal activity, and ensure residents and visitors can safely enjoy this historic event."

Thomas Tuchel and England players must ignore outside noise ahead of Argentina semi-final

Action Images

With plenty being made of the occasion in the lead-up, Tuchel must ensure the England players are not overawed by any off-field distractions, even though a number of players have featured in games of similar or greater importance in the past four major tournaments.

It will also be the first time the World Cup's now all-time leading scorer, Lionel Messi, has played against the Three Lions, with the 38-year-old already expressing his excitement ahead of the fixture.