Struggling against the elite. England have gone more than 20 years without beating a FIFA top-10 team

England faced Argentina in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and suffered a 2-1 defeat. It is far from the first time the Three Lions have experienced this, and the trend is becoming increasingly prolonged.

Details: According to Opta, England have failed to beat a FIFA top-10 ranked opponent in the World Cup knockout stage since 1998. They have faced such opponents seven times during that span and have lost all seven matches.

Following their victory over England, Argentina's players displayed a banner reading, "The Malvinas Islands are Argentina." As a result, they could face sanctions from FIFA.

As a reminder: It has been revealed which club will have the largest number of representatives in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.