Even on the rankings seems clear that Argentina had easier opponents than England, and I'd argue that Norway was a tougher match than Switzerland rankings notwithstanding.


Stage England Argentina
Group Stage Croatia 11th Austria 24th
Group Stage Ghana 73rd Algeria 28th
Group Stage Panama 34th Jordan 63rd
Round of 32 DR Congo 46th Cape Verde67th
Round of 16 Mexico(a) 14th Egypt 29th
Quarter-final Norway 31st Switz 19th
Semi-final Argentina 1st England 4th