Lionel Messi’s Argentina clash with England in a World Cup semi-final on Wednesday, with Spain lurking after dashing French hopes of a third triumph.
The showdown between two of the great creatures in global football is mouth-watering enough, but gets extra spice from long-standing political tensions.
Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina are looking to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups, which would be a staggering send-off for the inimitable Messi.
The 39-year-old, joint top of the Golden Boot standings with eight goals, inspired his side to victory in Qatar 2022 in what was expected to be his last hurray on football’s biggest stage.
But he is back for more and has been instrumental in taking his side to the semi-finals, scoring in hard-fought 3-2 wins against Cape Verde and Egypt.
Three-time champions Argentina will take on a different class of opposition in Atlanta compared to teams they have faced so far, although England have only sparkled at intervals.
Thomas Tuchel’s men have relied on the brilliance of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who have scored 12 of England’s 13 goals.
The teams meet for the first time in a competitive match since the 2002 World Cup.
Tuchel said he felt no added pressure despite the historic nature of the match as England aim for a first World Cup final since they won the tournament in 1966.
“I don’t feel a burden,” he said. “We feel the tension and will be nervous, but that’s normal.
“What I like is that I feel the players are really competitive, hungry and excited to play this game.”
The German added that midfielder Declan Rice, who has been battling illness, was ready to start.
Drama
The event’s history is full of drama.
Their most famous World Cup meeting was a 2-1 win for Argentina in the quarter-finals in Mexico in 1986, with two goals from Diego Maradona – one the infamous “Hand of God” goal and the other a dazzling solo effort.
Twelve years later, David Beckham was sent off in France when Argentina won on penalties.
Battles between the teams take place against the backdrop of an ongoing sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, known in Spanish as the Malvinas, in the South Atlantic.
Britain sent a military task force in 1982 to retake the islands after Argentine troops invaded.
Argentina’s boss Lionel Scaloni has tried to take the sting out of the match in recent days.
“The reality is this is a football game,” he said. “I don’t want to mix everything up, especially regarding things that happened so long ago.
“It was a very sad time in our history and there’s not much we can do about it. This is a football game, that’s all.”
The two teams – both ranked by Fifa in the world’s top four – are competing for the right to face Spain in Sunday’s final in New Jersey.
Luis de la Fuente’s side produced a masterclass in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday to dispatch hot-shots France, who were widely tipped to win the World Cup for a third time after their stunning attacking displays.
But European champions Spain produced a clinical performance to ensure France manager Didier Deschamps would end his World Cup career with defeat.
Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring for the 2010 winners with an emphatic first-half penalty and Pedro Porro doubled their lead in the second half.
“We started almost four years ago with an idea and we’ve stayed true to that idea and it’s brought us here,” De la Fuente said.
“These players deserve everything,” he added. “Day after day they have shown their commitment, their solidarity, their generosity, their talent. They make the difficult look easy.”
