England and Argentina set to clash in World Cup semi-final, the team's biggest test since 1966

England will meet Argentina in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday at 20:00 BST in Atlanta, a fixture described as the Three Lions' most important match since their 1966 victory. The teams have a long-standing rivalry, highlighted by memorable encounters in 1966, 1986 and subsequent tournaments, which adds historical weight to the game.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel said, "We now want to squeeze the last bit out. We want to take the next step. I really like the energy in our camp. The players are very excited, very ambitious. That's exactly what we need for this game." Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni added, "We all have stories from that past time and history and it all makes it very emotional."

England have reached two World Cup semi-finals since 1966, in 1990 and 2018, but have not progressed to a final. Their recent record includes a 2018 World Cup semi-final loss to Croatia, a Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy on penalties, and a quarter-final exit to France at the 2022 tournament. The current squad, led by Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, has scored 13 goals in the competition, with Bellingham and Kane accounting for 12 of them.

Argentina, who won the 1986 World Cup and have advanced from challenging knockout matches against Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland, will look to repeat past successes against England. The outcome will determine which nation reaches the final on Sunday, where the winner will face Spain.