England take on Argentina at the 2026 World Cup semifinals in their first competitive meeting in 24 years.
The Three Lions came back from a goal down to overcome Norway in their quarterfinal, with Jude Bellingham scoring both of England's goals as they advanced to the last four for only the fourth time in their history.
And waiting in their path on Wednesday night is an old foe -- Argentina.
The two sides have quite the shared history but have not faced each other in any kind of match since a 3-2 friendly win for England in 2005.
Despite that long wait, there is no shortage of controversy between these two sides and we look back at some of the biggest moments -- and rank them -- before the two sides go head-to-head again.
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5. Police escort Rattín from pitch after sending off
Way back in 1966, when England were of course victorious, the two sides met in the quarterfinal at Wembley and there was another red card.
This one however was perhaps the most important of all, as it changed the way football was refereed forever.
Antonio Rattin was sent off for dissent but did not understand German referee Rudolf Kreitlein and demanded an interpreter, refusing to leave the pitch for 10 minutes.
Due to his decision to refuse to leave the field, police officers were called in to remove Rattin from the pitch.
There were no cards at the time and this incident was a direct catalyst for the input of yellow and red cards.
Rattin died at the age of 89 on July 11, 2026, with Argentina wearing arm bands in memory of him in their win over Switzerland.
4. Bertoni's punch on Cherry
One that some people may not remember is the punch of Daniel Bertoni on Trevor Cherry in a friendly in 1977.
In the iconic La Bombonera, Cherry made a vicious tackle on Bertoni from behind with seven minutes remaining, which the Argentinian did not take kindly to.
He got up and punched Cherry directly in the mouth, knocking out his two front teeth and both players were sent off.
In doing so, Cherry became the first ever England player to be shown red in an international friendly.
3. Pochettino's foul, Beckham's penalty
It may have been 24 years ago, but the last time the two sides met, there was a big controversial moment, this time to England's benefit and David Beckham was again involved.
Michael Owen won a penalty late in the first half after Mauricio Pochettino was adjudged to have fouled the then 22-year-old by referee Pierluigi Collina.
David Beckham scored the penalty, which was enough for England to win the match 1-0 and advance to the knockout stages, with Argentina finishing third and failing to get out of the group.
Speaking as Tottenham manager in 2016, Pochettino said: "It was 15 years ago when Owen dived.
"Don't believe that English football is always fair because Owen jumped like [he was] in a swimming pool. Come on! I didn't touch him. I promise you. It's true."
2. Beckham's red card
Probably the second most famous incident between these two sides came in the 1998 World Cup when David Beckham, who has been spotted at several of England's matches in the United States, was sent off.
The scores were tied at 2-2 at halftime, with Alan Shearer and Michael Owen scoring for England, while Gabriel Batistuta and Javier Zanetti scored for Argentina.
But the big moment came two minutes into the second half, when Beckham was sent off for retaliating after a Diego Simeone foul.
England managed to take the match to penalties even without Beckham, but, as they had done all the way until beating Colombia in 2018, they failed in the shootout.
1. The Hand of God
Forget England vs. Argentina -- Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' is right up there as one of the most controversial sporting moments of all time.
With the scores level at 0-0 six minutes into the second half, Maradona leapt up with Peter Shilton and reached up with his hand to punch it into the empty net in what would become known as 'the Hand of God'.
Referee Ali Bin Nasser claimed did not see anything wrong with the goal and allowed it, as Maradona wheeled away in celebration and England furiously protested.
Four minutes later and Maradona scored arguably the greatest goal ever scored at a World Cup with his iconic 'Goal of the Century' when he weaved inside four England players from 60 yards away and slotted past a helpless Shilton.
England went on to lose the match 2-1 as Argentina lifted their second World Cup title a week later.
