# England reach World Cup semi-final as Rice fitness sparks selection debate

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/pick-your-england-xi-for-world-cup-semi-final/
- Published: 2026-07-12T14:32:23+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-12T20:47:24+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Sport (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cz75x4jgddpo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Art, Celebrity, Culture, Entertainment, Sport, UK, World

## Key points

- England beat Norway 2-1 to reach the World Cup semi-finals.
- They face either Argentina or Switzerland on Wednesday at 20:00 BST.
- Declan Rice was substituted at half-time, raising fitness questions.

## Summary

England have reached the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup after beating Norway 2-1 in the quarter-final, setting up a last-four meeting with either Argentina or Switzerland. One notable talking point was midfielder Declan Rice, who was substituted at half-time during the win over Norway, raising a question over his fitness ahead of the next match. To accompany the coverage, the BBC has invited supporters to pick their preferred England starting XI through an interactive team selector.

The semi-final is scheduled for Wednesday at 20:00 BST and will be shown live on the BBC. The team selector defaults to a 4-3-3 formation, allowing fans to change the shape and choose players for every position, from goalkeeper through the midfield to the front three. The BBC's wider coverage also outlines England's potential path to the final, alongside World Cup quizzes and related material.

## Coverage

- [BBC Sport: England reach World Cup semi-final as Rice fitness sparks selection debate](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cz75x4jgddpo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)
- [Daily Mail: Norway vs England - World Cup quarter-final LIVE: All the reaction as Jude Bellingham books Three Lions' place in semi-final with brilliant brace in Miami](https://www.dailymail.com/sport/football/article-15965961/Norway-vs-England-World-Cup-quarter-final-LIVE.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.