Editing England national football team (section)

===Rivalries===
{{main|England–Scotland football rivalry|England–Germany football rivalry|Argentina–England football rivalry}}
England's three main rivalries are with [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]], [[Germany national football team|Germany]] and [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/euro-2021/2021/06/29/englands-worst-top-football-rivalries-germany-euro-2020/ |title=England's top 10 football rivalries — but where do Germany rank? |author=Thom Gibbs |publisher=The Telegraph |date=29 June 2021 |access-date=3 March 2023 |archive-date=24 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230824151718/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/euro-2021/2021/06/29/englands-worst-top-football-rivalries-germany-euro-2020/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Smaller rivalries with [[France national football team|France]], [[Wales national football team|Wales]] and the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]] have also been observed.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/dec/09/france-hugo-lloris-predicts-big-battle-with-england-in-world-cup-quarter-final-qatar-2022 |title=France's Hugo Lloris predicts 'big battle' with England in World Cup quarter-final |author=Ben Fisher |work=The Guardian |date=9 December 2022 |access-date=16 July 2023 |archive-date=17 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617185918/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/dec/09/france-hugo-lloris-predicts-big-battle-with-england-in-world-cup-quarter-final-qatar-2022 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63742682 |title=World Cup 2022: 'Anyone but England' - the game Wales do not want |author=Dafydd Pritchard |publisher=BBC Sport |date=29 November 2022 |access-date=16 July 2023 |archive-date=14 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814135417/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63742682 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/england-ireland-jack-grealish-declan-rice-b1721479.html |title=What Ireland really feels about England, an 800-year rivalry of shades of grey, green and white |author=Miguel Delaney |publisher=Independent |date=12 November 2020 |access-date=16 July 2023 |archive-date=14 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814122856/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/england-ireland-jack-grealish-declan-rice-b1721479.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

England's rivalry with Scotland is one of the fiercest international rivalries that exists.<ref name=HistoryFierce>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/11/99/battle_of_britain/473756.stm |title=A history of fierce football rivalry |publisher=BBC News |date=13 October 1999 |access-date=17 June 2021 |archive-date=15 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070915135505/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/11/99/battle_of_britain/473756.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/football/11/06/first11.rivalries/index.html |title=Top 10 international rivalries |publisher=CNN |date=6 November 2008 |access-date=29 June 2010 |last=Duke |first=Greg |archive-date=20 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220051229/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/football/11/06/first11.rivalries/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It is the oldest international fixture in the world, [[1872 Scotland v England football match|first played in 1872]] at [[Hamilton Crescent]], Glasgow.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-63781834 |title=The day Scotland and England played the first football international |author=Donald Pollock |publisher=BBC News |date=30 November 2022 |access-date=3 March 2023 |archive-date=24 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230824151718/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-63781834 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[history of the British Isles]] has led to much rivalry between the nations in many forms, and the social and cultural effects of centuries of antagonism and conflict between the two has contributed to the intense nature of the sporting contests. [[Scottish national identity|Scottish nationalism]] has also been a factor in the Scots' desire to defeat England above all other rivals, with Scottish [[Sports journalism|sports journalists]] traditionally referring to the English as the "Auld Enemy".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/517293.stm|title=Scots relish Auld Enemy showdown|publisher=BBC News|date=12 November 1999|access-date=16 September 2007|archive-date=2 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602172508/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/517293.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> The footballing rivalry has diminished somewhat since the late 1970s, particularly since the annual fixture stopped in 1989. For England, games against Germany and Argentina are now considered to be more important than the historic rivalry with Scotland.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/features/people/you-re-watching-the-world-cup-from-cumbria-the-home-of-international-football-1.721408?referrerPath=home |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120906004929/http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/features/people/you-re-watching-the-world-cup-from-cumbria-the-home-of-international-football-1.721408?referrerPath=home |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 September 2012 |title=You're watching the World Cup from Cumbria – the home of international football... |work=News and Star |date=28 June 2010 |access-date=29 June 2010 }}</ref>

England's rivalry with Germany is considered to be mainly an English phenomenon—in the run-up to any competition match between the two teams, many UK newspapers will print articles detailing results of previous encounters, such as England's win in the [[1966 FIFA World Cup final|1966 World Cup final]] and the semi-final penalty shoot-out defeats of the [[1990 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#West Germany vs England|1990 World Cup]] and [[UEFA Euro 1996 knockout stage|Euro 96]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/25/england-germany-football-teams-tuesday-heartbreak |title=Rivalry? England v Germany is more like a tale of unrequited love |author=Jonathan Freedland |work=The Guardian |date=25 June 2021 |access-date=3 March 2023 |archive-date=14 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814122759/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/25/england-germany-football-teams-tuesday-heartbreak |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/euro-96-complete-history-england-germany-semi-final-penalty-shootout-alan-shearer-gareth-southgate | title=Euro 96, the complete history, part six: England's dream dies in Germany semi-final shootout | work=FourFourTwo | first=Gary | last=Parkinson |date=24 May 2024 |access-date=18 July 2024}}</ref> This rivalry has diminished significantly in recent years.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/495dc000-cc14-4475-85e4-7c5cd2dd3425 |title=England's one-sided football rivalry with Germany loses its bite |author=Simon Kuper |publisher=Financial Times |date=28 June 2021 |access-date=3 March 2023 |archive-date=14 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814150318/https://www.ft.com/content/495dc000-cc14-4475-85e4-7c5cd2dd3425 |url-status=live }}</ref> Germans consider [[Italy national football team|Italy]], the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]] and France to be their greater rivals, and [[Barney Ronay]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' wrote in 2021 that the rivalry with England "isn't a close rivalry at all, not if we accept the standard definition that both sides need to be aware that it exists. Germany have won seven major tournaments. Germany have reached 15 semi-finals since the 'one World Cup' of 1966."<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/jun/26/germany-england-rivalry-euro-2020 | title=Germany, England's deepest rivals? In reality it's not a rivalry at all | work=The Guardian | first=Barney | last=Ronay |date=26 June 2021 |access-date=18 July 2024}}</ref>

England's rivalry with Argentina is highly competitive. Games between the two teams, even those that are only [[friendly match]]es, are often marked by notable and sometimes controversial incidents such as the [[The hand of God|hand of God]] in [[Argentina v England (1986 FIFA World Cup)|1986]].<ref name="goal">{{cite web|url=http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/diego-maradona-the-hand-of-god-the-most-infamous-goal-in/15sev9f2t2sn814f2n8d2ah3zc|title=Diego Maradona & the Hand of God: The most infamous goal in World Cup history|work=[[Goal (website)|Goal]]|access-date=22 June 2018|archive-date=22 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622193312/http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/diego-maradona-the-hand-of-god-the-most-infamous-goal-in/15sev9f2t2sn814f2n8d2ah3zc|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Arg">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/may/19/worldcupfootball2002.football2|title=England v Argentina – A history|last=Carlin|first=John|date=19 May 2002|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=22 June 2018|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108103757/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/may/19/worldcupfootball2002.football2|url-status=live}}</ref> The rivalry is unusual in that it is an intercontinental one; typically such footballing rivalries exist between bordering nations. England is regarded in Argentina as one of the major rivals of the national football team, matched only by [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] and [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]].<ref name="Arg"/> The rivalry is, to a lesser extent reciprocal in England, locally described as a ''grudge match'' although matches against Germany carry a greater significance in popular perception. The rivalry emerged across several games during the latter half of the 20th century, even though as of 2008 the teams have played each other on only 14 occasions in full internationals.<ref name="11v11">{{cite news |url=https://www.11v11.com/teams/england/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Argentina/ |title=England national football team: record v Argentina |website=11v11 |access-date=6 March 2023 |archive-date=14 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814145919/https://www.11v11.com/teams/england/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Argentina/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The rivalry was intensified, particularly in Argentina, by non-footballing events, especially the 1982 [[Falklands War]] between Argentina and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dawnay |first=Oliver |url=https://talksport.com/football/559182/argentina-legend-diego-maradona-says-hand-of-god-goal-against-england-revenge-falklands-war |title=Argentina legend Diego Maradona says 'Hand of God' goal against England was 'symbolic revenge' for the Falklands War |publisher=[[Talksport]] |date=6 June 2019 |access-date=19 January 2020 |archive-date=21 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221133816/https://talksport.com/football/559182/argentina-legend-diego-maradona-says-hand-of-god-goal-against-england-revenge-falklands-war/ |url-status=live }}</ref> England and Argentina have not met since a friendly in November 2005.<ref name="11v11"/>