The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was decided by penalties between Argentina and France. The match itself produced the highest goal-per-minute total in any World Cup final since 1958. Both teams had something to settle, and they settled it by trading goals into added time. That is what football's deepest rivalries look like at the international level: the tactics, the formations, the substitutions all matter, but what is actually being contested is decades of accumulated history.
The 2026 draw and bracket structure produces five fixtures where that historical weight is present in the fixture itself, before either team has even kicked off. These are not rivalries that need to be sold to the broadcasters. The supporters arrive already invested.
Argentina vs England
The two countries have met five times at a World Cup. Argentina has won three, England has won one (1966, the controversial Geoff Hurst goal that the Germans of the era still bring up). The 1986 quarter-final at the Estadio Azteca produced the two most famous goals in World Cup history within four minutes of each other: Diego Maradona's punched goal (the Hand of God, scored with his fist but allowed because the referee did not see the handball) and his solo dribble past five English defenders that FIFA's 2002 Goal of the Century vote selected as the best ever scored.
The 1998 Round of 16 in Saint-Etienne produced David Beckham's red card for kicking out at Diego Simeone, and Argentina's win on penalties. The 2002 group stage saw Beckham score from the penalty spot to give England a 1-0 win, in what felt at the time like a moment of redemption. They have not played at a World Cup since.
The 2026 bracket structure means an Argentina vs England match would be at the quarter-final stage at the earliest. It depends on group placements. If Argentina wins Group K (alongside Portugal) and England wins Group L, the quarter-final draw could route them into the same fixture. The political weight has not faded. The Falklands War (a 10-week military conflict in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over a pair of South Atlantic islands) is now 44 years in the past, but the fixture still carries it.
Germany vs Netherlands
The 1974 World Cup final in Munich is one of football's reference points. Johan Cruyff's Netherlands invented Total Football (a tactical system in which any outfield player can fluidly take any other player's position) and lost 2-1 to a West Germany side that was less talented but better at the set pieces. Cruyff is reported to have refused to ever set foot in Germany after that match. He never did.
The 1990 Round of 16 produced an even uglier moment: Frank Rijkaard spat in Rudi Völler's hair, the umbrella incident. Both players were sent off. Germany won 2-1 and went on to win the tournament.
The two countries have met at six World Cups across the post-war era. Germany has won three, the Netherlands two, with one draw. The cultural friction is real. Dutch supporters do not enjoy cheering for Germany. German supporters return the sentiment.
In 2026 a Germany vs Netherlands match could occur as early as the Round of 16 if the bracket falls in a particular pattern. Both teams are in different sides of the bracket as group winners, which is the safer outcome for both fanbases. As group runners-up, they could meet earlier.
USA vs Iran
The two countries have played twice at a World Cup, in 1998 and 2022. Both matches were politically charged in ways that no other World Cup fixture is. The two governments have not had formal diplomatic relations since 1980. The matches themselves produced 1-2 (Iran won, 1998) and 1-0 (USA won, 2022) results.
The 1998 match is the more historically significant. The pre-match handshake line has been documented in dozens of academic papers as a moment of public diplomacy. The two captains exchanged white roses. Iran's victory was their first ever at a World Cup.
In 2026 the two teams cannot meet in the group stage (the draw separated them). A knockout meeting would be at the Round of 32 at the earliest, depending on group placement. The political weight is not lower than it was in 2022. If the bracket produces the fixture, it will carry the same significance.
Brazil vs Argentina
The South American rivalry that does not need explanation. The two teams have met four times at a World Cup, with Brazil winning two and Argentina winning two. The 1990 Round of 16 in Turin saw Argentina win 1-0, with Diego Maradona setting up Claudio Caniggia for the only goal in a tactically minimal match. The 2014 semi-final was prevented when Argentina lost to the Netherlands on penalties; otherwise they would have played Brazil in Belo Horizonte one round before the famous 7-1 final.
Argentina is the reigning World Cup champion. Brazil has not won since 2002. The bookmakers price both teams in the top five for 2026. A Brazil vs Argentina semi-final is the bracket scenario that generates the highest broadcast revenues globally.
France vs Italy
The 1998 quarter-final was a 0-0 that France won on penalties, on home soil, as part of their march to the title. The 2006 final in Berlin was 1-1 after extra time and decided on penalties when Italy converted all five and France missed one. The Zidane headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the 110th minute remains the most analysed moment in any World Cup final.
The two teams have not met at a World Cup since. France has reached two finals since 2006, winning one. Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments and qualified for 2026 only after a late surge in the European playoffs.
A France vs Italy match in 2026 would be at the Round of 16 at the earliest. Both teams are top-eight contenders. The bracket math gives the fixture roughly a 25 percent chance of occurring before the semi-finals.
What history adds
Football rivalries matter because they survive coach changes, generation changes, and tactical revolutions. The supporters who watched Argentina vs England in 1986 are now bringing their grandchildren to international fixtures. The supporters who watched Germany vs Netherlands in 1974 watched it again in 1990, 2010 and various Euros. The 2026 World Cup will add new chapters to each of these stories. Whether the fixtures actually occur depends on the bracket. Whether they would matter if they did is not in question.
For the full match schedule and to track when each of these fixtures could happen, see our match explorer and the bracket page.
