​England vs. Argentina history: Head-to-head matches at World Cup, last meeting, team records and more originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.England and Argentina face off in a mouthwatering World Cup semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLionel Messi ended one of soccer’s great questions when he finally got his hands on the game’s biggest prize three-and-a-half years ago, inspiring Argentina to glory at Qatar 2022.England have their own generations-spanning quest to settle. It is now 60 years since the Three Lions won their first and only World Cup in 1966.Captain Harry Kane and talismanic midfield star Jude Bellingham have the chance to secure sporting immortality over the next week.But for that to remain on the table, they must prevail in one of the most tempestuous rivalries in soccer history.2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup ticketsAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis will be the sixth time England and Argentina have met at a World Cup. England won the first meeting 3-1 in the 1962 group stage.All-time Three Lions greats Bobby Charlton and Jimmy Greaves were on target in a result that ultimately meant Argentina bowed out before the knockout stages. Both teams made it through to the quarterfinals in England four years later and clashed at Wembley in the game that truly lit the fuse in this rivalry.A year prior to England hosting the World Cup, manager Alf Ramsey took his side on a tour of South America, which doubled up as a fact-finding mission for the big challenge ahead.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEngland finished bottom of the four-team Taca das Nacoes or ‘Little World Cup’ in Brazil, losing 5-1 to the Pele-inspired hosts and dropping a 1-0 scoreline to Argentina before a 1-1 draw with Portugal.Ramsey concluded his team was short of the world’s best and running out of time. His solution was the 4-1-3-2 formation that led to his team being dubbed the ‘Wingless Wonders’. Such were the limitations of scouting at the time; Ramsey was able to test out the formation in a couple of friendlies in the year before the World Cup and keep an ace up his sleeve.England played in a more conventional set-up as they navigated the group stage without conceding a goal – beating Mexico and France 2-0 after an opening 0-0 draw versus Uruguay – before Ramsey sized up Argentina and knew it was time to field the attacking midfield trio of Charlton, Alan Ball and Martin Peters behind the front two. Charlton’s Manchester United team-mate Nobby Stiles patrolled in front of the back four, snapping into tackles on anything that moved.Stiles’s uncompromising approach was one of the ingredients that meant the match was not primarily remembered for Ramsey’s tactical innovation. Both teams gave as good as they got in a nasty, physical tussle, but Argentina captain Antonio Rattin – a brilliant midfielder f