Intro
Argentine legend prepares for long-awaited clash in football’s fiercest World Cup rivalry this week.
Atlanta
Lionel Messi will finally face England on the World Cup stage for the first time in his illustrious career when defending champions Argentina meet the Three Lions in a blockbuster FIFA World Cup semifinal on Wednesday.
The 39-year-old Argentine captain has played against every other former World Cup-winning nation, including Brazil, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Uruguay, but England have remained the one notable omission from his international résumé.
That long-awaited meeting will now take place in Atlanta, with a place in the World Cup final at stake. The Argentine Football Association described the contest as “the match fate owed Messi,” highlighting the significance of the encounter for one of football’s greatest players.
Messi came closest to facing England in a friendly in Geneva in November 2005. However, he missed the match after being sent off on his senior international debut against Hungary earlier that year. England won that friendly 3-2, with Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen leading the comeback.
“It’s special because they’re a great team and a football powerhouse,” Messi said after Argentina’s dramatic 3-1 extra-time victory over Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
“We need to recover well because we’ve had several physically demanding matches. Our aim is to keep competing the way we have throughout the tournament,” he added.
Argentina have endured a gruelling knockout campaign, defeating Cape Verde in extra time in the Round of 32 before staging a remarkable comeback from two goals down to beat Egypt in the Round of 16. Against Switzerland, Messi provided the assist for Alexis Mac Allister’s opener, although it was the first World Cup match since Argentina’s 2022 group-stage win over Poland in which he failed to score.
England, meanwhile, reached the semifinals after overcoming Norway in extra time, with Jude Bellingham playing a starring role.
Former England defender Micah Richards believes Messi remains Argentina’s biggest weapon.
“England can outrun Argentina, but they have that little genius in Messi. Everyone plays for him, and marking him is almost impossible,” Richards said.
Beyond the battle for a place in the final, the clash renews one of football’s fiercest rivalries, shaped by unforgettable World Cup encounters and decades of sporting history. For Messi, it offers another opportunity to strengthen his extraordinary legacy by leading Argentina one step closer to back-to-back World Cup titles.