England vs Argentina Semi-Final Preview: History Locked at 3-3 in One of Football's Fiercest Rivalries

England and Argentina meet in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final on July 16, reviving one of football's most storied rivalries on the game's biggest stage.

The two nations have crossed paths at the World Cup four times before, and the history is even, with three wins apiece. England won the first meeting in 1962, then edged a bad-tempered 1966 quarter-final 1-0, a game remembered for Argentina captain Antonio Rattin being sent off. Argentina hit back in the 1986 quarter-final, winning 2-1 in a match forever defined by Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" handball and his stunning solo goal moments later, both scored in the same eight-minute spell. The two sides met again at the 1998 last-16 stage, a 2-2 thriller featuring Michael Owen's wonder goal and David Beckham's red card, with Argentina eventually winning on penalties. England had the last word at the 2002 World Cup, winning 1-0 in the group stage through a Beckham penalty that was widely seen as his redemption after 1998.

Beyond World Cup meetings, England hold the wider edge in official fixtures between the sides, with six wins to Argentina's two and five draws across their full history. Their most recent meeting came in a 2005 friendly, which England won.

Both teams arrive at this semi-final via extra time in the quarter-finals. England beat Norway 2-1, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice, including a 93rd-minute winner, after Norway had led through Antonio Schjelderup. Argentina came from behind to beat a 10-man Switzerland 3-1, with Breel Embolo's second-half sending off proving decisive as Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez struck in extra time.

With an even World Cup head-to-head and both sides in red-hot knockout form, this rematch of two of football's most iconic World Cup collisions could produce another classic.