In the early hours of Thursday, the eyes of the world will turn to Atlanta, where England and Argentina are set to clash with a coveted spot in the World Cup final on the line. The incentive to wake up early for this match is clear.
Argentina steps onto the field as the reigning champions, driven by the ambition of securing a fourth title and their second consecutive one, with Lionel Messi showcasing some of the most impressive form of his late playing years. Meanwhile, England is on a quest to break a long-standing drought, aiming to reach the World Cup final for the first time since their sole appearance and victory in 1966.
This epic showdown, however, is layered with more than just statistics and accolades — it is a tapestry woven with six decades of grievances and disputes. From expulsions and contested goals to broader historical tensions, these two nations have not faced each other in such a high-stakes setting since 2005.
According to former Australian soccer luminary Craig Foster, the historical context and its weight will resonate distinctly with each team as they prepare for the match.
“For Argentinians, the political shadows of the Falklands War and what they perceived as a battlefield encounter against England in the ’86 games continue to cast a long shadow,” Foster remarked.
The insult that started it
The rivalry began in 1966, 16 years before the Falklands War, with Antonio Rattín — the Argentine captain whose death at 89 was announced last week.
In the World Cup quarter-final at London’s Wembley Stadium, the German referee Rudolf Kreitlein cautioned Rattín for a foul on attacking midfielder Bobby Charlton and then, three minutes later, cautioned him again for dissent.
Two cautions meant dismissal, but this was an era before red cards existed, and Rattín — who spoke no German or English — appeared not to have understood he was being sent off.
The game stopped for eight minutes while officials conferred on the touchline and police were summoned to escort him away. On his way off he crumpled a corner flag bearing the Union Jack and sat down on the red carpet laid out for Queen Elizabeth II.
England won 1-0 through a Geoff Hurst header the Argentines were convinced was offside.
After the whistle, Argentine full-back Roberto Ferreiro tore the referee’s shirt and was banned for three matches; his teammate Ermindo Onega was banned for spitting at a FIFA vice-president.
The moment that turned a violent afternoon into a permanent wound came from the England bench. Alf Ramsey, England’s manager, ran onto the pitch to prevent his players exchanging shirts with the Argentines — a breach of one of football’s oldest courtesies.
Then, in his post-match press conference, he called the opposition “animals”. Ramsey later said he had meant their style of play rather than the men themselves.
It made no difference. Argentine newspapers carried the word as a statement of English contempt, and in Argentina, the match is still known as El Robo del Siglo — the Robbery of the Century.
The confusion over whether Rattín had been dismissed at all persuaded the English official Ken Aston to devise a system of yellow and red cards, introduced at the 1970 World Cup and now universal.
The war, the hand and the goal
In April 1982, Argentina’s military junta invaded the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic that Argentina calls Las Malvinas and has claimed for well over a century, prompting Britain to send a task force.
The war lasted 74 days and killed more than 900 people on both sides before the Argentine surrender in June.
Four years later, the countries were drawn together in a World Cup quarter-final at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Six minutes into the second half, with the game goalless, Diego Maradona ran into the England penalty area to contest a ball looping high in the air. He was 5’5″; the goalkeeper Peter Shilton was six inches taller and coming to punch.
Maradona rose and, with his left fist held close to his head, knocked the ball over Shilton and into the net. The England players surrounded the referee. The goal stood.
Asked how he had scored it, Maradona said it had come “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”.
Four minutes after that first goal, Maradona collected the ball inside his own half and ran. He took 11 touches in 11 seconds, beat five England players, and slid the finish past Shilton from an angle. It is routinely touted as the greatest goal ever scored.
England’s Gary Lineker pulled one back late. Argentina won 2-1 and went on to lift the trophy, beating West Germany 3-2 in the final at the same stadium.
Beckham’s exile and return
Twelve years later, at the 1998 World Cup in France, England met Argentina in Saint-Étiennethe in an extraordinary Round of 16 match.
England’s Michael Owen, then 18, scored a solo goal that made him a national figure — before things turned.
Just after half-time, midfielder David Beckham was fouled by Argentine central midfielder Diego Simeone, who patted him on the back of the head as he lay face down.
Beckham, still prone, flicked his boot at Simeone’s calf. Simeone fell. The Danish referee Kim Milton Nielsen sent Beckham off.
England held on for a 2-2 draw with 10 men, had a late Sol Campbell header disallowed, and lost 4-3 on penalties. Beckham was vilified by the British press and burned in an effigy outside a London pub.
Redemption came four years later, against the same opponent. In Sapporo, Japan at the 2002 World Cup, Owen was brought down by Mauricio Pochettino (now the USA coach), and Beckham — by then England’s captain — took the penalty himself and drove it down the middle.
England won 1-0. Argentina went out at the group stage for the first time since 1962.
Atlanta, 2026
Both teams’ coaches have spent the week lowering the temperature ahead of Thursday’s semi-final.
Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni, speaking after his side’s quarter-final win over Switzerland, insisted there was nothing at stake beyond football. England coach Thomas Tuchel has stuck to tactics, telling reporters his plan is to put star players Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham together and let them decide the game.
The stands are less obliging. Argentine supporters — and, in the dressing room after the win over Egypt, Argentine players — have sung ‘Muchachos’, a song invoking the Malvinas, Maradona and Messi’s pursuit of a second world title. FIFA, whose regulations prohibit political slogans, has reportedly declined to take action.
Sixty years after Rattín sat down on the Queen’s carpet, England are one match from their first World Cup final since that tournament. Messi, measured against Maradona his entire career, is one match from a second consecutive final.
Nobody who takes the field on Thursday was alive for the war, the hand or the goal. But it is likely they will play as though they were.
— This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Japanese.