England and Argentina will meet on Wednesday in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup, with a place in the final at stake. Defending champion Argentina enters the match under the leadership of Lionel Scaloni, who led the team to its third world title in 2022. France24 ↗
Ahead of the duel, the long-standing rivalry between the two countries is once again being recalled. Argentina and England have met five times on football's biggest stage, and their matches have carried both sporting and historical significance. Ahead of the semi-final, Scaloni sought to ease any potential tension, stressing that he does not want to link football with politics or with the legacy of the Falklands War. BBC News ↗
The most notable chapter of the rivalry remains the World Cup quarter-final in Mexico in 1986. Coming after the Falklands War, the match became one of the most memorable duels in football history. In it, Diego Maradona scored a goal against England known as the "Hand of God," and later added a strike often called the goal of the century. Referee Ali Ben Nasser allowed the first of these after a misunderstanding that has since become part of football legend. Spiegel.de ↗
The historical dimension of the match is also recalled by the ball from that game, with which Maradona scored both famous goals and which later went up for auction. The 2026 semi-final thus continues a rivalry that goes beyond the result of a single match. Der Standard ↗
England and Argentina to meet for a place in the final, Maradona's shadow remains
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