The 2026 World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina is not just about soccer. It is the just in chapter in one of the sport’s most emotionally charged rivalries, a rivalry that has produced unforgettable moments, none more legendary than the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal, a match that gave us both the “Hand of God” and the “Goal of the Century.” But the story has never been confined to the pitch. Few people embodied that connection more than Diego Armando Maradona, probably the greatest player in the history of the game.
He once offered a quote that captured how deeply history shaped his view of the relationship between the two countries. Recalling an invitation to meet the then-Prince Charles in Emir Kusturica’s 2008 documentary Maradona by Kusturica, he stated: “One day they wanted to introduce me to Prince Charles. I stated no. I would never shake a hand with so much blood in it. Never.”
To understand why Maradona felt that way, and why an England vs. Argentina match still carries significance beyond the sport, we need to go back to the 19th century and later in 1982, four years before the 1986 World Cup.
The Falkland War (Malvinas)
In Argentina, the Falkland Islands are known as the Islas Malvinas. To understand why matches between England and Argentina carry so much weight, it’s necessary to look beyond the sport. The Malvinas are located 300 miles off Argentina’s Atlantic coast and over the 17th and 18th centuries, they changed hands several times during the colonial era, as they were controlled by France before Spain. Britain also established a settlement in 1765 and kept control over the years until 1816, when Argentina claimed their independence from Spain and also declared their rights to take over the control of the islands. It all escalated in 1833 when Britain sent naval forces to remove the Argentine authorities from the islands and controlled the Falklands since then, while the South American country always considered the takeover as illegal. For almost a century, the dispute remained diplomatic, that is, until 1982.
On April 1982, Argentina’s military junta invaded the Falklands, hoping to restore the control of the islands. The British government, led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, responded by dispatching a naval task force to retake the islands. The conflict lasted 74 days and involved thousands of military personnel in combat on land, at sea and in the air until the Argentine troops surrendered on June 14. Around 649 Argentinians and 255 British military personnel died during the conflict.
Argentina’s defeat in the Falklands War led to the collapse of the military dictatorship that had ruled the country since 1976. The junta, regarded as one of the most brutal regimes in Latin American history, waged the so-called “Dirty War” against suspected opponents. Thousands of students, unionists, activists and other civilians were tortured and killed in clandestine detention centers. Thousands of victims were never found and became known as Los Desaparecidos (The MIssing), with some thrown alive into the Ocean during the regime’s infamous “death flights.” The military surrendered power in 1983 and Argentina returned to democracy.
The Falklands remained a topic over the years, and even a few days before the 2026 World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina, the South American country claimed its control despite losing a referendum in 2013, when the citizens of the islands voted to remain a British overseas territory. Argentina rejected the referendum but the history behind the Malvinas remained a topic.
1986: ‘The Hand of God’
Four years after the war between the two countries, Argentina and England met in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup played at the Azteca in Mexico. That match is still considered one of the best soccer games in history and Maradona was the absolute main character. In four minutes, he changed the history of the sport as the Argentinian legend scored the first goal with his hand, the so called Mano de Dios, as he stated after the game: “How did I score? A little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God,” and since then, he considered it as a sport ingrevenge after the war.
Argentine singer Rodrigo Bueno, who tragically died in a car accident in 2000, wrote what many consider the greatest song ever dedicated to a soccer player, “La Mano de Dios.”
Maradona himself sang it in Kusturica’s 2008 documentary Maradona by Kusturica, in what remains one of the most emotional and unforgettable scenes of the film, as he did in front of his friends and family while he was going through a challenging moment in his life.
But he wasn’t done there.
If that wasn’t enough, four minutes later he scored the Goal of the Century, a 60-meter run towards the English goal, passing four English outfield players. Uruguayan commentator Victor Hugo Morales, who was the voice of that goal for the Argentinian television, couldn’t believe what he saw and his commentary is still considered one of the best moments in the history of the World Cup:
“Cosmic kite, what planet did you come from, to leave so many Englishmen behind, for the country to be a clenched fist crying for Argentina? Argentina 2, England 0! Diegoal, Diegoal, Diego Armando Maradona! Thank you, God, for football, for Maradona, for these tears, for this Argentina 2, England 0.”
The game ended 2-1 and Argentina later won their second World Cup thanks to the performances of Maradona.
1966: When cards were introduced
It’s kind of unbelievable, but there is even more than that. If today in soccer we have the yellow and red cards, it’s because of a match between Argentina and England in the quarterfinals of the 1966 World Cup. The Argentine captain Antonio Rattin, who passed away on July 11 this year, was sent off by German referee Rudolf Kreitlein for a double yellow. However, back then, there were no yellow and red cards and the decisions were only communicated verbally to the players. Rattin couldn’t speak English or German and didn’t understand what happened. When he finally did, he refused to leave the pitch for nearly 10 minutes and had to be escorted away by match officials. After the World Cup, won by England, by the way, the new head of the FIFA referees Ken Aston, who also had to face a similar episode at the 1962 World Cup during the game between Italy and Chile, decided to introduce the yellow and red cards starting from the 1970 World Cup.
‘It’s just a football match’
Speaking to the media ahead of the semifinal, current Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni tried to cool the mood down and stated that Wednesday’s game is “just a football match. Let’s not make it something else. We’re playing a great team, led by a great coach who I appreciate and admire a lot.”
That may be true, but he only needs to hear the song his fans sing during the matches, which also were belted out in the dressing room after the games in the current World Cup, which ends with these lyrics:
“Por Malvinas, por el Diego. Por la última de Leo. Argentina quiero verte bicampeón.”
“For the Malvinas, for Diego, for Leo’s last World Cup. Argentina, I want to see you win it again.”
No, it’s not just about soccer.
