England manager Thomas Tuchel faces a selection headache for Wednesday's World Cup semi-final against Argentina, with injury and illness clouding several key decisions – while FIFA president Gianni Infantino has dramatically left the tournament to attend the funeral of Qatar's former emir.
Infantino jetted off from Miami, where he had watched England's 2-1 quarter-final victory over Norway, to Doha on a private jet linked to the FIFA president, arriving the following day. He has been seen among mourners for Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the late father of the Emir, who died Sunday aged 74. Qatar announced four days of national mourning. Infantino is expected to return to the US within 24 hours.
“England's World Cup semi-final against Argentina is clouded by injury calls as FIFA president Infantino leaves for a Qatar funeral.”
The FIFA boss has faced heavy criticism during the tournament for jetting around North America on a private jet provided by Qatar. Norwegian investigative magazine Josimar reported he flew 50,000 kilometers during the group stages. It is not the first time Infantino has left a major tournament mid‑event; during the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand he crisscrossed the Pacific for days in a private jet, prompting a backlash to which he responded on social media: “Chill, relax, live and let live!”
Back on the pitch, Tuchel's main call is whether to leave out Ezri Konsa. BBC Sport experts suggest the experience of John Stones is required for such a game, with Stones having handled the brutal heat and humidity of Miami well. If Reece James is not considered ready to start, Konsa would play again at right‑back.
Another big decision is to start Morgan Rogers on the right, a position he has played for Aston Villa. The experts argue England have not had enough from either Noni Madueke or Bukayo Saka on that flank, and while Saka is reportedly fully fit from his ongoing Achilles tendon issue, he has not been firing. Rogers was praised by Tuchel for his role when he came on in Miami and described as one of his key players.
“Someone other than Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham has got to weigh in with goals and Rogers has the potential to do that,” one analyst said. The selection also depends on whether Declan Rice has fully recovered after being pressed into service against Norway so soon after recovering from being unwell. Rice is so important that he has to start if anywhere near fit.
“Very tough choice because you have to factor in injuries, illness in Rice's case, and the fact we are now at the sudden‑death stage of the World Cup,” the expert added. The match, to be shown live on the BBC at 20:00 BST, will pit England against an Argentina side that will remind Jordan Pickford to “stay focused” on Lionel Messi, according to a warning issued to the England goalkeeper.
