Club football has its derbies, but international football has rivalries with history, geography and pride baked in.
Argentina against Brazil is South America's headline act, two football cultures that measure themselves against each other. England against Germany carries decades of dramatic knockout ties. The Netherlands and Germany, Spain and Portugal, and Mexico and the USA all bring an edge that turns a friendly into a must-win.
What makes these games special is that they don't need a trophy on the line to feel huge. The shared history does the work. When the draw throws two old rivals together at a World Cup, the whole tournament leans in.