Making the case for England vs. Argentina as the biggest rivalry in World Cup history

If this World Cup is your first, England and Argentina may not appear as the most obvious rivals. However, there is an argument to be made that this is the biggest cross-continental rivalry in all of international soccer. The pair will clash in Wednesday's semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the first time the duo have met since a friendly in Geneva 21 years ago.

At World Cups, it will be their sixth encounter, with these clashes producing some of the most iconic moments in the tournament's history — and forming the backbone of the stories of both teams. So, why do these two nations hate each other so much?

The background behind the England-Argentina rivalry

This is truly a relationship that transcendes soccer, dating back to the Falklands War of 1982. The Falkland Islands are a group of 778 tiny islands, of which only 15 are inhabited, in the South Atlantic Ocean around 300 miles off the coast of mainland Argentina. They are a combined 4,700 square miles, making it half the size of Hawaii. Despite their location, the Falklands have been under British rule since 1833.

In '82, Argentina’s military junta sought to seize control, but were forced to surrender 74 days later after a bloody conflict in which almost 1,000 people died. This was the backdrop for England and Argentina's most famous meeting, which we'll come to shortly, and the dislike has never truly subsided.

Following Saturday's win over Switzerland in Kansas City, every Argentina fan was signing a popular chant: "el que no salta es Ingles", which they do while bouncing up and down, because it means whoever doesn't jump is English. Now that we've set the scene, let's go through the iconic World Cup encounters between these two sides over the years.

England 1-0 Argentina: 1966 quarterfinal

The pair first met at the World Cup in 1962, an innocuous 3-1 win for England in Rancagua. Four summers later, they clashed again, this time in the quarterfinals at Wembley. The only goal of the game was scored after 12 minutes by Sir Geoff Hurst, making his competitive international debut a week before he would score the hat trick in the final that saw the Three Lions beat West Germany.

The game, though, is remembered for Argentine captain Antonio Rattín's dismissal. (Rattin sadly passed away last Saturday.) Rattín was sent off by German referee Rudolf Kreitlein in the first half at Wembley but refused to leave the pitch, later claiming that he did not understand the official. After eventually departing, some reports from the time claim that he sat down on a red carpet intended to be used only by Queen Elizabeth II. This episode led to FIFA introducing yellow and red cards as a universal symbol to alert players and supporters alike, with Rattín's expulsion 60 years ago the origin story.

Argentina 2-1 England: 1986 quarterfinal

Arguably the two most iconic goals in World Cup history came from the same man just four minutes apart at the Azteca. Coming four years after the Falklands War, the man in question, Diego Maradona, said the following after a game that was all about him:

"We knew they had killed a lot of Argentine boys there, killed them like little birds. And this was revenge."

Maradona broke the deadlock just after half time by getting on the end of a cross into the box and rising above Peter Shilton to head the ball home — or so it first appeared. On replay, it was clear that Maradona had flicked the ball in with his hand, later stating the ball had gone in "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God", hands-down the most iconic quote in soccer history.

Four minutes later, the little genius scored the Goal of the Century. He dribbled around four England defenders, including Terry Butcher twice, rounded Shilton and slotted one in, a goal like no one had ever witnessed before. Carlos Bilardo's team prevailed 2-1 in Mexico City en route to World Cup glory, with this the most famous win in Argentine history — and the most infamous defeat if you're English.

Argentina 2-2 England: 1998 round of 16

But that was far from the end of the Argentina-England rivalry. A full 12 years on from the Azteca, the two sides met again in Saint-Étienne in the last 16 of the 1998 World Cup. There were three goals scored in the opening quarter of an hour, the best of which was by Michael Owen, only 18 years old at the time, bursting through the Argentine defense in Maradona-esque fashion.

However, the key moment came just after half time, when David Beckham was sent off for petulantly kicking Diego Simeone. England kept Argentina scoreless through the rest of the 90 minutes and extra time, but the South American side won the subsequent shootout at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard as David Batty missed the decisive kick. But it was Beckham who was blamed for the defeat, vilified by the British press while fans burned effigies in scenes we've rarely seen before or since.

Argentina 0-1 England: 2002 group stages

The most recent World Cup encounter between these two rivals came 24 years ago at the Sapporo Dome in Japan. A 1-0 victory for England helped condemn Argentina to their sole group stage elimination since 1962, in an otherwise not especially historic match. However, it will always be cathartic for the night's only goal-scorer.

Just prior to halftime, England were awarded a penalty, one emphatically converted by Beckham. You could tell in his celebration that he was releasing four years of anger after his red card against the same opposition in Saint-Étienne, enjoying a full-circle moment.

As these two rivals prepare to meet again in Atlanta on Wednesday, drama is guaranteed.

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