FIFA World Cup 2026: Declan Rice fit and available for England's WC semi-final clash against Argentina

Texas [US], July 14 (ANI): Declan Rice is fit and available to start England’s World Cup semifinal against Argentina on Wednesday (local time), Sky Sports reported.

Rice had suffered a stomach issue following England’s round-of-16 clash in Mexico City 10 days ago. England manager Thomas Tuchel revealed that the midfielder was confined to bed for three days ahead of the quarterfinal against Norway due to the illness.

England will face Argentina in the second semifinal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Atlanta on Wednesday, with the Three Lions aiming to reach only their second-ever World Cup final and their first since lifting the trophy on home soil in 1966.

As a result, the FA medical team decided that Rice could only feature for 45 minutes in Miami, where the intense heat and humidity created conditions equivalent to temperatures of 44°C.

The Arsenal midfielder appeared exhausted and visibly drained as he walked past journalists after England’s extra-time victory over Norway. However, manager Thomas Tuchel indicated in his post-match press conference that Rice was eager to continue playing beyond the interval.

“We knew that Declan was struggling. He gave a green light to continue maybe until the next water break, but then I thought if we go 120 and I don’t have Elliot [Anderson] on the field, we will get into trouble with substitutions later,” Tuchel said as per Sky Sports.

“So we took a hard decision and took Declan off then, which paid off because Elliot could play the full 120, otherwise we would have been in trouble,” he added.

Rice has now fully recovered and completed a full training session in Kansas City on Monday. It was England’s first full session since the victory over Norway, which had been held behind closed doors, as per Sky Sports. (ANI)

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