Two decades on, Messi finally faces England in World Cup Semifinal

In two decades of international football, Lionel Messi has faced almost every rival football has to offer — except one. That wait ends Wednesday, when Argentina meet England in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, marking the first time the 39-year-old superstar will take the pitch against the Three Lions at senior level.

Argentina booked their spot in the last four with a hard-fought 3-1 extra-time win over Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday, with Alexis Mac Allister heading in a Messi corner in the tenth minute before Dan Ndoye pulled Switzerland level in the second half, and Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez finally settling it in extra time. England reached the same stage by beating Norway, also needing extra time to get there.

The Argentina-England rivalry is among football's most storied and bitter, its history written by moments like Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" and his solo wonder goal in the same 1986 quarter-final, Michael Owen's stunning individual strike in 1998, and David Beckham's red card in that same match. Yet remarkably, the biggest name to emerge from Argentina's post-Maradona era has never tasted this fixture — not at a World Cup, not in any tournament, not even in a friendly.

Messi's peculiar England drought traces back to his chaotic senior debut. In August 2005, the then-18-year-old was sent off less than a minute after coming on as a substitute against Hungary — one of the most infamous debuts in international football history. The suspension that followed meant Messi missed Argentina's only meeting with England since, a friendly in Geneva on November 12, 2005, which England won 3-2 with a Wayne Rooney goal and a Michael Owen brace. Messi watched from the sidelines.

The two nations have not met since — not at the 2010 World Cup, where the stage was nearly set before England fell to Germany in the round of 16, nor in a proposed 2023 friendly that never materialised. England and Argentina will meet at a World Cup for the first time since 2002 when they take the field Wednesday.

For Messi, the semifinal is more than a route to the final — it closes out one of the last unfinished chapters of his career. Messi has scored a tournament-high eight goals, tied with Kylian Mbappé, and extended his all-time World Cup goals record to 21 after netting in a record nine straight World Cup appearances before the streak ended against Switzerland — though he still set up the winning goal.

England, meanwhile, are chasing their first World Cup title since 1966. Jude Bellingham has been central to their run, scoring twice against Norway in the quarter-final and becoming the first player to score two or more goals in consecutive World Cup knockout matches at the same tournament since Maradona in 1986.

Maradona's hand, Owen's wonder goal, Beckham's sending-off — Argentina versus England has long written itself into football folklore. Now, after 21 years apart, Messi finally gets his chance to add a chapter of his own.