Messi to Face England for First Time in World Cup Semi-Final Clash

England’s upcoming World Cup semi-final against Argentina will be the first occasion Lionel Messi faces the Three Lions in his international career.

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has represented Argentina for 21 years with 205 caps, will make his debut against England on Wednesday in Atlanta.

Throughout his extensive international career, Messi has played against teams such as Mauritania, Estonia, and Angola twice, yet England has never been among his opponents.

England secured their place in the semi-finals after a 2-1 quarter-final victory over Norway, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice. Following the match, Bellingham responded directly to criticism from his manager regarding the team’s performance.

This progression marks England’s second World Cup semi-final appearance in three tournaments, having previously reached the last four only once since their 1966 triumph.

Argentina, the defending champions, advanced to the semi-finals by defeating Switzerland 3-1 in extra time, with goals from Julián Álvarez and Alexis Mac Allister.

At 39 years old, Messi has netted eight goals in the 2026 World Cup, making him the tournament’s leading scorer with 21 goals overall. He holds a one-goal lead over France’s Kylian Mbappé, who also has eight goals in this edition.

Following his goal against Jordan in the group stage, Messi became the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches, extending this streak to nine games after scoring against Egypt. However, he did not score in the quarter-final against Switzerland.

Messi aims to increase his goal tally as he faces England for the first time at the international level.

The last England-Argentina meeting occurred on November 12, 2005, in an international friendly where England won 3-2, with Michael Owen scoring two late goals.

Messi was absent from that squad after receiving a red card on his Argentina debut against Hungary three months earlier, making Wednesday’s match his first encounter with England.

This semi-final will be Messi’s 33rd World Cup appearance as Argentina seeks to become only the second team to retain the World Cup title, following Uruguay’s consecutive wins in 1930 and 1934.

England and Argentina have met at recent World Cups, notably in 1998 and 2002. In 1998, David Beckham was sent off for kicking Diego Simeone, but he redeemed himself by scoring a penalty in England’s 1-0 group stage win in 2002.

One of the most memorable matches between the two teams was the 1986 quarter-final, where Diego Maradona scored both the celebrated ‘Goal of the Century’ and the controversial ‘Hand of God’ goal, leading Argentina to a 2-1 victory.

The semi-final between England and Argentina will take place on Wednesday, June 15, at 8pm BST at Atlanta Stadium.