England play Argentina tonight in a blockbuster World Cup semi-final clash in Atlanta.
The showdown between the two sides represents a renewal of one of the most hostile rivalries in international football, with England and Argentina having not faced one another in a competitive match for 24 years.
Should Thomas Tuchel’s men get the better of the South Americans, they will be just one game away from ending the 60 years of pain that has been endured since the 1966 triumph on home soil.
Here’s everything you need to know about England’s potential date with destiny – assuming everything goes to plan this evening.
Exclusive build-up to England v Argentina
Make sense of the drama with Metro’s free daily newsletter. Sign up now.
World Cup final opponents
England will play Spain in the World Cup final if they beat Argentina tonight.
The final will take place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey this Sunday, with kick-off at 8pm BST.
Spain booked their place in the final after a dominant 2-0 win over France in the first semi-final on Tuesday night.
La Roja put in arguably the most dominant performance of any team so far at this year’s World Cup, with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro sealing the win for Luis de la Fuente’s men.
Incredibly, Spain have not lost a game in over three years, with their unbeaten run of 37 games the joint-highest of any men’s team in international football history.
Spain’s appearance in this week’s final will be the second time they have contested the biggest game in football, having beaten the Netherlands 1-0 in the final back in 2010.
Spain boast a formidable record in recent major finals, having also won the Euros in 2008, 2012 and 2024.
In fact, the last time they lost in a major final was the 1984 European Championships – 42 years ago.
Is there a third-place play-off game?
Should Argentina prevail in Atlanta, England will instead contest the third-fourth place play-off game against France.
That match will take place in Miami on Saturday at 10pm BST.
While the Three Lions will be desperate not to play in it, it would at least present them with an opportunity to secure their best finish at a World Cup since 1966.
England have recent experience of playing in the third-place game – widely regarded as one of the most hated in the whole of football.
Having suffered an agonising extra-time defeat to Croatia in the semi-finalsof the 2018 World Cup, Gareth Southgate’s side then lost to Belgium in the play-off match three days later to finish fourth in the tournament.