Sport
What are the 5 biggest rivalries for the England team?
England matches are always steeped in intrigue but that feeling is intensified tenfold when a major rival comes along. You would think that England’s rivals only cover the local border but that is not the case. In fact, the England have developed intriguing rivalries with sides all over the world. Whether it be political, sporting or cultural, these intense rivalries make England games a must watch either in person or on the big screen. So who are England’s greatest rivals?
What are the 5 biggest rivalries for the England team?
England vs. Germany
One that has been brewing for almost an entire century, the rivalry between England and Germany is almost legendary.
It’s a rivalry that stemmed from two major historical events of the 20th century: World War I and World War II. With the intense fighting on either side, it meant that there was no love lost when the two sides met in sporting occasions. Since then, two behemoths of European football have clashed in multiple major events.
The memorable 4-2 victory for England in the 1966 World Cup final is perhaps England’s finest moment in the rivalry in one of the most pulsating finals in World Cup history. Yet Germany has caused intense heartache with famous penalty shootout wins in both the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup and the 1996 European Championships.
These two sides will always be destined to clash and the intrigue will always follow as it draws near to kick off and, as far as rivalries go for England, this is arguably the biggest.
England vs. Scotland
A rivalry as old as the sport itself – England vs Scotland is the oldest of all football rivalries.
With the two nations famous for being at loggerheads for centuries, the passion has dominated when the sides have met on the pitch. With their first match taking place in 1872, the two sides have often fought for the right to be seen as the best nation in the British Isles.
England have traditionally dominated their northern neighbours in the clash winning 48 of the 115 clashes – almost double Scotland’s total of 26 wins. Even so, it never stops the Scottish sides putting up a passionate argument in a fiery rivalry.
England vs. Argentina
Whilst being on the other side of the planet from one another, there is certainly no love lost between Argentina and England. The rivalry was sparked relatively recently due to political tensions caused by the Falklands War in the1980s and left the two football powerhouses seemingly on a collision course.
The impending clash in the 1986 World Cup quarter finals didn’t disappoint when they met with Diego Maradona’s controversial “Hand of God” moment underlining the rivalry between both sides.
It was a similar atmosphere in the 1998 World Cup second round where Argentina won on penalties in a match known for a controversial dive from Diego Simeone saw David Beckham sent off much to English anger. Their recent clashes have been in a “friendly” environment but that doesn’t mean that the two rivals won’t have heated clashes again in the near future.
England vs. Croatia
It doesn’t matter what competition format England participate in, they are almost always bound to face Croatia somewhere along the way and the frequent meetings between the pair have turned it into one of England’s lesser rivalries.
The two sides have met often in qualifying for major tournaments as well in the Euros and World Cup finals as well with the record going fairly evenly. Croatia were responsible for England infamously failing to qualify for Euro 2008 with a devastating 3-2 win at Wembley and caused even more heartache when they won 2-1 in the 2018 World Cup Semi-Finals in extra time.
England have enjoyed some success of their own with a 4-2 win at Euro 2004 being a particular highlight in a rivalry that is almost always guaranteed to happen in at least one stage of every major tournament.
England vs. France
England and France have had a love hate relationship for centuries in all forms of life. Therefore, it’s not too surprising to see the two sides becoming intense rivals on the pitch too.
With just one narrow stretch of water separating the two nations, battles are always close fought affairs. Many of France’s top stars have based themselves in England for much of their career meaning that matches involve players facing off against colleagues and teammates from their clubs. This leads to close matches where both teams battle hard for supremacy and see who has the edge between two of the top nations in the planet.
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