Argentina vs England: A World Cup rivalry spanning six decades

It is a footballing rivalry that spans generations. England versus Argentina for a place in the World Cup final — iconic, generational, classic. On Wednesday in Atlanta, Lionel Messi will face England for the first time in his career as the defending world champions seek to prevent Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions from ending 60 years of hurt.

The World Cup rivalry between the two nations began in 1962 and has since featured wonder goals, controversy, and red cards. But it is not merely an on-field rivalry. Political tensions, particularly surrounding the Falklands War in the 1980s, have long dominated the relationship between the two countries. Argentina players and fans still reference the conflict in football songs.

Before one of England's biggest matches in history, BBC Sport looks back at the World Cup rivalry between the two sides. It may surprise many that of the five World Cup matches played between them, England holds the edge in results — though it has been a while since they won a match that truly mattered. With their last World Cup meeting in 2002, many younger fans may not even remember the rivalry. BBC Sport revisits six decades of controversy.

1962: England 3-1 Argentina (Rancagua, Chile — group stage)

A tame affair compared to what was to follow. Goals from Ron Flowers, Bobby Charlton, and Jimmy Greaves put England into an unassailable 3-0 lead, with a late consolation from Argentina. Both sides finished the group stage with a win, a defeat, and a loss, but England edged through at Argentina's expense thanks to a superior goal difference. The Three Lions were knocked out by Brazil in the quarter-finals.

1966: England 1-0 Argentina (Wembley, England — quarter-finals)

Was this the moment the footballing rivalry truly developed? Possibly. The two teams met in the quarter-finals in a match Argentina, to this day, insists they were robbed in, claiming Geoff Hurst's winning goal was offside. That was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to controversy. Argentina captain Antonio Rattin was sent off after just 33 minutes for two offences in the space of three minutes: the first for a trip on Bobby Charlton, the second for continuing to argue with German referee Rudolf Kreitlein. The match was delayed for almost eight minutes as Rattin refused to leave the pitch.

England held on in an incredibly ill-tempered affair, with Three Lions boss Alf Ramsey describing the Argentine side as 'animals' and insisting that his players did not swap shirts. England's 1966 World Cup-winning defender George Cohen reflected on the match in the Guardian in 2009: 'Tackling is fine,' he said. 'But it was some of the snidey things, the spitting and pulling the short hairs on your neck, pulling your ear. They were trying to intimidate us. The trouble was when they found out they weren't going to get their way they fell into some of the worst excesses I've ever seen.'

'I just consider it the greatest shame that they didn't play the game they were capable of. We might even have got beaten but they just should have got on and shown what they could do.' Cohen added: 'There was a lot of commotion in the tunnel after the game. Nobody was allowed out so we didn't see it.'

The match is also believed to have led to the introduction of red and yellow cards, which were first used at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Previously, referees had to rely on verbal warnings. Rattin, who represented Argentina from 1959 to 1969 and played at the 1962 and 1966 World Cups, died at the age of 89 on Saturday.

1986: Argentina 2-1 England (Mexico City, Mexico — quarter-finals)

The Hand of God. This quarter-final was played just four years after the two countries had fought the Falklands War. This was not just a football rivalry; political tensions were huge as well. The match is best remembered for Diego Maradona's two goals: the infamous 'Hand of God' goal, where he punched the ball into the net, and a stunning solo run that was later voted the 'Goal of the Century'. England had taken the lead through Gary Lineker, but Maradona's brace sent Argentina through. The match remains a defining moment in the rivalry.