Argentina and England will cross paths again in a World Cup when they meet this Wednesday in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup. The duel in Atlanta will add a new episode to one of the most intense and emblematic rivalries in the history of football, marked by unforgettable matches, controversies and moments that transcended sport.
The first World Cup meeting between both teams took place in Chile 1962, when England won 3-1 in the group stage. However, the rivalry gained real strength four years later, in the quarterfinals of the 1966 World Cup, played at Wembley.
That match was marked by the expulsion of Argentine captain Antonio Rattín after protesting an arbitration decision. England won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Geoff Hurst and subsequently won the only world title in their history. At the end of the match, the English coach Alf Ramsey described the Argentine players as “animals” and forbade his players to exchange shirts with the rival.
The most remembered chapter came in Mexico 1986. Diego Armando Maradona signed one of the most legendary performances in the history of the World Cups by scoring the famous “Hand of God” and, just a few minutes later, the one considered by many to be the “Goal of the Century”, after leaving half the English team behind before beating Peter Shilton. Argentina won 2-1 and ended up lifting the trophy, in a match that acquired enormous symbolism after the 1982 Falklands War.
Twelve years later, at France 1998, both teams starred in another unforgettable duel in the round of 16. Michael Owen scored one of the best goals of the tournament, while David Beckham was sent off for kicking Diego Simeone, who years later admitted that he tried to provoke the Englishman. After drawing 2-2, Argentina advanced to the quarterfinals by winning the penalty shootout thanks to a decisive save by Carlos Roa.
England’s revenge came in the group stage of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. Beckham scored the only goal of the match from a penalty and gave England a 1-0 victory. That defeat ended up being decisive for the elimination of an Argentina led by Marcelo Bielsa, who had arrived as one of the main favorites for the title.
Now, 24 years after the last World Cup confrontation between both teams, Argentina and England will once again play a match of maximum tension, with a place in the 2026 World Cup final at stake and the opportunity to write a new chapter in a rivalry that has left some of the most memorable moments in the history of the World Cup.
