World Cup 2026: Declan Rice – England to make late midfield call-up for semi-final

England will make a late decision on whether Declan Rice is fit to start their World Cup semi-final against Argentina.

But there is hope that the Arsenal midfielder can shake off the effects of the illness to play on Wednesday.

Rice, who was suffering from pain during Norway’s quarterfinal win over Miami on Saturday, was substituted at halftime.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel admitted that Rice had spent three days in bed before the game, which England won 2-1 after extra time.

It is understood Rice is still not fully recovered from the illness – he was picked up in Mexico, England’s 3-2 win over their hosts in the last 16 – but his condition has improved significantly in the past 48 hours.

As things stand, hopes are growing that Atlanta will be off to a good start.

Rice is confident of finding himself in the semi-finals given the magnitude of the event.

But given the severity of the illness, British medical staff were prepared to delay their arrival.

And Tuchel will wait to see how quickly his situation improves before making a final decision on whether to pick him.

In addition to recovering from the illness, Rice has been dealing with nerve issues for months that affect her lower back and pelvis.

The 78-cap midfielder has started all but one of England’s World Cup games so far, missing the 2-0 group stage win over Panama through injury.