
England vs Argentina - one of the most fiercest rivalries in the World Cup history. The two sides have met five times in the World Cups so far with England leading the head-to-head record with 3-2. The upcoming showdown on Wednesday (Jul 15) in Atlanta promises to be a blockbuster.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 has come down to its last week with only four teams remaining in the contention for the trophy. There are two semi-finals to be played to decide the teams of title showdown and one of those matches is England vs Argentina - one of the most fiercest rivalries in the World Cup history. The two sides have met five times in the World Cups so far with England leading the head-to-head record with 3-2. The upcoming showdown on Wednesday (Jul 15) in Atlanta promises to be a blockbuster given the history of two sides which have had multiple moments worthy of remembering.
The first two sides met in the FIFA World Cup was in 1962 edition during the group stage in Rancagua, Chile. The match was pretty much a one-sided affair with Ron Flowers, Bobby Charlton and Jimmy Greaves scoring one goal each to help England advance. Engladn advanced to the next stage ahead of Argentina based on better goal difference but were beaten by eventualy champions Brazil in the quarter-final.
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The ill-tempered match was played at the iconic Wemble Stadium in London, UK with home side England coming out triumphant 1-0. The match had tempers flaring within half hour as Argentina captain Antonio Rattin was sent off after 33 minutes and committing two fouls in space of three minutes. Rattin refused to leave which led to the game being delayed for over eight minutes. England eventually held on to the lead to advance and win their only World Cup trophy till date.
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The game played at Azteca in Mexico is remembered the most for Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal and another one which was surreal and spectacular as the South American side 2-1. The quarter-final loss meant England were out of the tournament and Argentina went on to win the World Cup by beating West Germany in the final.
David Beckham was red carded for his kick out at Argentina's Diego Simeone in the Round of 16 match. All four goals were scored before the half-time with Gabriel Batistuta scoring a penalty in 7th minute before Alan Shearer returning the favour in 11th minute. Michael Owen then gave England 2-1 lead in the 17th minute before Javier Zanetti levelled it the first half's injury time. England held on despite two red cards but lost on penalties. Argentina also didn't made far and lost to Netherlands in the next round.
The match will also be remembered for David Beckham but this time for leading his side to victory. Only one goal was scored in the match, courtesy Beckham and England won group-stage meeting played at Sapporo, Japan. England progressed to knockout stage and Argentina exited in the group-stage for the first and only time since 1962.
England vs Argentina semi-final in FIFA World Cup 2026 will be aired LIVE across WION's sister company Zee5 app and website. (link: https://www.zee5.com/)