Argentina and Holland not qualifying for the World Cup is very good news for England

MANY reasons have been given to explain why England have failed to reclaim the glories of 1966, but there is one explanation that has nothing to do with their on-field exploits.

In 1962, the semi-finalists at the Chile World Cup  – Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia – failed to qualify for the next tournament four year down the line… where the Three Lions were crowned world champions in 1966.

Since 1966, no tournament has failed to feature more than one team that had reached the last four in previous World Cup.

So considering that two of the semi-finalists (Argentina and Holland) from the World Cup four years ago on are on the brink of not qualifying for the Russia 2018, it could be great news for England.

And one Reddit user put together a table which lay outs every previous semi-finalist and how they fared qualifying for World Cups four years on.

AP:Associated Press

Holland have twice failed to reach a World Cup finals after reaching the semis in the previous edition of the cup.

While, it would be a first for the Argies who are usually regulars among the world’s best.

However, it is not out of Argentina’s hand just yet, they have to hope Peru are beaten or held to a draw by Colombia, while winning their last game to give themselves the best hope of qualification.

Gareth Southgate’s men have cruised to qualification in comparison – finishing top of their group.

The Three Lions beat Slovenia 1-0 on Thursday night to secure their place at next year’s World Cup competition.

And will hope to end their campaign with a win away in Lithuania.