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England are locking horns with reigning world champions Argentina, but how many times have they been in this situation before?

England will face Argentina for a spot in the World Cup final on Wednesday evening, with the victors set to meet Spain in New Jersey on Sunday, 19 July.

For the Three Lions, this represents one of the most significant matches in their modern history – perhaps their biggest since lifting the World Cup trophy in 1966.

Many England supporters still remember the last time their team reached this stage, only eight years ago, yet such moments have been rare in their footballing journey.

Thomas Tuchel’s side have fought their way to this point and will etch their names into history regardless of the final result.

When England step out against Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday evening, it will mark only the fourth occasion in history that they have competed in a World Cup semi-final.

England’s first-ever semi-final appearance came in 1966, the same year they famously captured the Jules Rimet trophy in front of a jubilant Wembley crowd.

In that semi-final, they overcame Portugal, a side led by the legendary Eusebio – ranked no.16 in FourFourTwo’s list of the greatest players of all time. Bobby Charlton’s two goals were enough to send England into the final that year.

English fans then had to endure a 24-year wait before seeing their national team reach another semi-final, which took place in Turin, Italy, against West Germany in 1990.

That match ended in heartbreak, with England losing on penalties after Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle missed their decisive spot kicks, allowing West Germany to advance to the final against Argentina.

It would take even longer for England to return to this stage, finally doing so in 2018. Despite the much-hyped ‘Golden Generation’ of the early 2000s, England could only make it to the quarter-finals in 2002 and 2006.

In 2018, Kieran Trippier’s stunning free-kick gave Gareth Southgate’s men a 1-0 lead inside five minutes against Croatia in Moscow. However, England eventually fell 2-1 after Mario Mandzukic netted a 109th-minute winner in extra time.

Out of their previous three semi-final appearances, England have advanced to the final just once. Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, and the rest of the 2026 squad will be determined to change that record and avoid the disappointments of the past when they face Argentina.