Stuart Pearce condemned the ‘disrespectful’ decision by England and Argentina fans to boo each other’s national anthems.The international rivals lock horns in a highly charged 2026 World Cup semi-final clash on Wednesday, live on talkSPORT.There was no love lost between the two nations ahead of the 2026 World Cup semi-finalAnd with tensions already high, both sets of supporters voiced their displeasure as the respective anthems begun with neither being heard as well due to the opposition vitriol both were greeted with.“It’s the most disrespectful I’ve ever known two sets of fans to be so anti each other’s anthems,” Pearce said on World Cup GameDay Live.“And to be fair, I fully expected it to be honest to you, it shows venom.”England’s semi-final showdown in North America marked the first competitive clash between the pair since the 2002 World Cup.David Beckham, who appeared to cry during the anthems, scored the only goal of the game, netting from the spot in a 1-0 win.Beckham appeared to cut an emotional figure just before the game startedRex Shuttershock (Javier Garcia)Why are England and Argentina rivals?England’s rivalry on the pitch with Argentina stems from the 1966 World Cup, as the Three Lions claimed a 1-0 win over the South American powerhouse.Argentina felt there were unfairly officiated in the narrow defeat, which saw Antonio Rattin shown his marching orders in the first half.England went on to win the World Cup with a 4-2 win over West Germany, which remains their only international triumph to date.The South American exacted revenge over England at the Azteca Stadium 20 years later as Diego Maradona netted twice in a 2-1 win.Diego Maradona’s 1986 ‘Hand of God’ goal incredibly went unnoticed by the refereegettyThe pint-sized attacker scored one of the great World Cup goals as he slalomed through the England side before tucking past Peter Shilton.The strike came after Maradona netted the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal that gave Argentina the lead on their way to a quarter-final triumph.England and Argentina then met at the 1998 World Cup in France, which finished 2-2 after extra time.Argentina went on to secure a penalty shootout success, but not before Beckham saw red for kicking out at Diego Simeone.Who will England or Argentina face in the World Cup final?The 2026 World Cup final will take place at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.And the winner of England’s meeting with Argentina will face Spain this weekend.La Roja booked their place in the summer showpiece event as goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro saw them claim a 2-0 win over France.This is a developing story and is being updated.For the latest updates, breaking news alerts, and comprehensive analysis, refresh this page or follow our real-time news coverage by watching and listening to talkSPORT live.For broader context, explore related coverage on our homepage for the top trending stories. For the latest talkSPORT videos, download the app.talkSPORT cares about getting it right, not just getting it first and because this is a developing situation, details will change. We will be updating this page constantly with verified info, expert takes, and official statements.Stay tuned for further developments as this story continues to break.