England and Argentina have met 14 times in their entire history, with a clear advantage for the British, who only lost three times (once on penalties in 1998). However, there are other data that paint the 2026 World Cup semifinal with data in favor of one or the other. A striking example is when was the last time England advanced to a final.

If you go to any website that shares the complete list of World Cup finals (1930-2022), you will probably have a hard time finding the English team. The reason is that only once did he manage to play in the final of a World Cup.

This was at the 1996 World Cup in England. Exactly the only World Cup that the European nation has organized and which also awarded it the only and almost hidden star on its shield.

This Wednesday, July 15, starting at 3:00 pm ET, England has the opportunity to enter a new final. But in front they have Argentina, a team that, although it seems to have the measure taken, carries a fact that scares the British: every time it played in a semifinal it advanced to the final.

But the games are there to be played. France came as a favorite in the semifinals and Spain gave them a huge dance at the Dallas Stadium (2-0), which indicates that nothing is written on the field of play.

Read also: The World Cup enters its hottest stage: the favorites for the title, according to the AI

Who did England play against in the 1966 World Cup semi-finals?

After winning their group undefeated, England eliminated Argentina in the quarterfinals (1-0) and then played the semifinal against Portugal, inspired by the scoring instinct of Eusébio, who ended up being the top scorer of that World Cup (9).

With a double from Robert “Bobby” Charlton, England won 2-1 and reached their first World Cup final (the only one so far), which they played against West Germany.

The final was held at Wembley Stadium, London, before almost 97,000 spectators. The result was 4-2 for the British, with an impressive hat-trick by Geoff Hurst. However, the match had one of the biggest controversies in history.

What happened? After 90 minutes and with the score at 2-2, England and West Germany went to extra time. Geoff Hurst appeared there, in the 101st minute: his shot caused the ball to hit the crossbar and then hit near the line, but never entered the goal.

The referee validated the goal after consulting with the linesman and England went on to win 3-2. Fortunately for them, then came the 4-2 score, so they did not win exclusively with that “ghost goal”, the one that keeps the champion star in the same way… like a ghost.

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