​The England vs. Argentina World Cup semifinal started out chippy on Wednesday, and there is a very good reason for that. The countries have a long history on and off the pitch.Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982. The islands sit in the South Atlantic. Britain has held them as an overseas territory since 1833, and Argentina, which calls them the Islas Malvinas, has wanted them back ever since. Margaret Thatcher sent a naval task force. The fighting lasted 74 days and killed about 649 Argentine and 255 British troops before Argentina surrendered.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLIVE: Argentina vs England fiery World Cup battle, score and how to watchThe teams didn’t meet again until the 1986 World Cup, in the quarterfinals, and that game is the one people still argue about. Argentina won 2-1. Diego Maradona scored both goals. He knocked the first in with his hand, now known as the “Hand of God” goal. The second goal he scored on a run past four England players from inside his own half.1 / 8England’s midfielder #17 Morgan Rogers and Argentina’s defender #03 Nicolas Tagliafico fight for the ball during the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026.(ROBERTO SCHMIDT, AFP via Getty Images)The 2026 World Cup is the largest ever, and USA TODAY is going all in with reporters on the ground in all 16 host cities across three countries to cover 48 teams vying for the trophy. Get our World Cup: Extra Time newsletter in your inbox every morning and join our WhatsApp channel to get the latest updates right in your texts.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAll games are being broadcast in the United States on Fox and FS1. Matches will also be broadcast in Spanish throughout the entirety of the World Cup on Telemundo and streaming on Peacock . Meet Team USA 2026: Get to know the athletes behind the games The World Cup becomes a single-elimination tournament once the knockout stage begins. The 32 remaining teams have been placed into a bracket, and the field will halve itself during each ensuing round of the tournament until a winner is crowned.The lone exception is that the two semifinal losers will play in a third-place game ahead of the World Cup final.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJuly 4: France def Paraguay – Lincoln Financial Field, PhiladelphiaJuly 4: Morocco def Canada – HoustonJuly 5: Norway def Brazil – East RutherfordJuly 5: England def Mexico – Mexico CityJuly 6: Spain def Portugal – ArlingtonJuly 6: Belgium def USA – SeattleJuly 7: Argentina def Egypt – AtlantaJuly 7: Switzerland def Colombia – VancouverJuly 9: France def Morocco – FoxboroughJuly 10: Spain def Belgium – InglewoodJuly 11: England def England – MiamiJuly 11: Argentina def Switzerland – Kansas CityJuly 14: France vs. Spain  – ArlingtonJuly 15: England vs. Argentina – AtlantaJuly 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New JerseyThis article original