The England national football team faces Argentina on Wednesday in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, in a match with historical weight, as it is the sixth meeting between the two teams in World Cup history, and the first ever at the semi-final stage. The two sides have met five times previously, spread across group stages and knockout rounds, beginning in 1962 in Chile in the group stage, when England won 3-1 and contributed to Argentina's early exit. Then they met in 1966 on English soil in front of their home crowd in the quarter-finals, with the match ending in a 1-0 victory for the hosts amid widespread controversy after the sending off of Argentina captain Antonio Rattín. The third unforgettable encounter came in 1986 in Mexico, also in the quarter-finals, where Argentina won 2-1 thanks to two goals from Diego Maradona that went down in history – the 'Hand of God' goal – when England goalkeeper Peter Shilton came out of his goal to claim the ball, Maradona jumped and raised his left arm above his head to direct it into the net, in a match seen as symbolic revenge for a political conflict between the two countries four years earlier. The fourth meeting was in 1998 in France in the Round of 16, ending 2-2 after regular time, before Argentina won 4-3 on penalties, in a match that saw the famous red card for David Beckham after a clash with Diego Simeone. The most recent encounter was in 2002 in Japan in the group stage, when England won 1-0 with a Beckham penalty, in a match considered personal revenge for Beckham after the disappointment of 1998. In the current edition of the tournament, both teams have had impressive runs to the semi-finals. England topped their group after beating Croatia 4-2, drawing with Ghana 0-0, and beating Panama 2-0, then overcame DR Congo 2-1 in the Round of 32, before beating host nation Mexico 3-2 in the Round of 16, and finally defeating Norway 2-1 in extra time in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, defending champions Argentina topped their group with three consecutive wins over Algeria, Austria, and Jordan, then beat Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time in the Round of 32, continued with an exciting 3-2 win over Egypt in the Round of 16, before a tough 3-1 extra-time victory over Switzerland in the quarter-finals. Wednesday's match carries extra significance as it will be the first official meeting between Lionel Messi and England, with Messi having scored in 8 matches in the current World Cup.