England v France is a game that should strike fear into the hearts of any English person watching on. If it doesn’t, you don’t know your history.
One of the main jibes thrown at current England head coach Gareth Southgate is that he can beat the ‘smaller nations’ but always comes unstuck against the big boys. England lost twice to Belgium in 2018 before losing the Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalties. But in World Cups, have England ever really beaten the major nations?
The 2018 losses against then-number-three ranked side Belgium are slightly out of context. England played a second string including Phil Jones, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fabian Delph having already qualified from their group and then the lost the pointless third-place play-off when the same two teams were brought together again.
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But what about all the years preceding that? Well, since 1966, the Three Lions have only beaten a team ranked above them in FIFA’s World Rankings once in World Cup play.
The 2014 event was an embarrassment all round as England finished bottom of their group. After that tournament they dropped from 11th to 20th in the world as they lost to Italy (ninth) and Uruguay (sixth) before heading home. In 2010 a stunning qualification campaign had seen Fabio Capello’s side shoot up the rankings to eighth, but they were only able to beat Slovenia before being humiliated by Germany (sixth).
The 2006 World Cup saw was a painful penalty exit in the last eight to Portugal, who were ranked three places higher, while the Three Lions only beat Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago in the group stage, before beating Ecuador 1-0 in the last 16.
In 2002, however, Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side did buck the trend in the group stage. David Beckham scored that famous penalty to gain revenge over Argentina in a 1-0 win, and that's the only time England have beaten a side ranked above them at a World Cup since 1966. Argentina were ranked third in the world at the time, while the Three Lions were down in 12th and they would eventually come unstuck against Brazil in the last eight.
In ‘98, they took Argentina to penalties but were actually ranked above them at the time having reached the semi-finals at Euro ‘96 two years earlier. So, with this run stretching back multiple generations, England’s expectations do seem artificially inflated.
But Gareth Southgate and this group of players have begun to turn the narrative. Before 2018, they had not won a knockout game at any major tournament since 2006. Then they made the semi-finals.
On paper, they’d not beaten a major nation at a tournament since that Argentina game in 2002. Then on that special day at Wembley in the last 16 of Euro 2020, England beat Germany. It was absolutely monumental, but the Three Lions were ranked fourth heading into that tournament, and the Germans 12th.
England simply do not have a history of beating major teams, especially those ranked above them, at major tournaments. That brings us to this weekend. Southgate’s side are currently ranked fifth in the world having made the Euro 2020 final, while France, the current world champions, are in fourth.
It’s a nail-biting match-up on paper. Fortunately for England, this is a young side which hasn’t played with the weight of history upon their shoulders. Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and co, are more than good enough to compete with the world champions, but if England are going to make the final four, they’ll have to do something they’ve not done since 1966... Beat a team ranked above them in the knockout stage of a World Cup.
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