Lionel Messi is set to face England for the first time in his illustrious career when Argentina meet the Three Lions in Wednesday’s FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final, marking another historic chapter in the veteran forward’s remarkable international journey.
According to AFP, as published by Channels Television, the 39-year-old Argentina captain has never played against England despite making his senior international debut in 2005. He was suspended shortly after that debut, causing him to miss a planned friendly against England later that year, and the two nations have not met since.
Messi, who earned his 200th Argentina cap during the group stage against Algeria, is aiming to lead the reigning champions into another World Cup final. Having inspired Argentina to lift the trophy in Qatar four years ago, he now hopes to emulate the lasting impact of the late Diego Maradona against England.
Any meeting between Argentina and England inevitably recalls the famous 1986 World Cup quarter-final, where Maradona scored both the controversial “Hand of God” goal and one of the greatest goals in World Cup history.
While Messi has never replicated that iconic solo strike, he has carved out his own place in football history. The Inter Miami star heads into the semi-final as the tournament’s all-time leading World Cup scorer, with 21 goals from a record 32 appearances. He also finished the quarter-finals one goal ahead of France captain Kylian Mbappe.
Speaking after Argentina’s quarter-final victory over Switzerland, Messi welcomed the opportunity to finally face England.
“I have played against everyone except England and it is special because they are a major nation, a powerhouse, and it is always nice to play against a side like that, especially in a World Cup semi-final,” he said.
Argentina are chasing back-to-back World Cup titles and could become the first nation to successfully defend the trophy since Brazil achieved the feat in 1962. A place in the final would also give Messi his third World Cup final appearance, matching a feat achieved by Brazil legend Cafu.
Messi urged his teammates to savour the occasion.
“Getting to another semi-final is not a normal, mundane thing, so this is something we should really enjoy because we don’t know if it will happen again,” he said.
England defender Nico O’Reilly admitted he is relishing the chance to come up against the Argentine captain.
“He’s coming towards the end of his career. For me personally, he’s the best player to ever touch a football pitch. I can’t wait for the challenge,” O’Reilly told BBC Radio 5 Live.
