Lionel Messi will finally play against England for the first time in his career when Argentina face the Three Lions in the 2026 World Cup semi-final on Wednesday night. Despite amassing 205 caps for the South American giants over 22 years, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has never faced England in a competitive or friendly match.
Why have England and Argentina not faced each other since 2005?
The last meeting between the two fierce rivals was a friendly in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2005, which England won 3-2 after trailing twice. Michael Owen scored twice in the final four minutes to complete a dramatic turnaround. Messi was suspended for that game after being sent off with a straight red card in his international debut against Hungary just minutes after coming on as an 18-year-old substitute.
Since then, the luck of the draw and early eliminations at major tournaments have kept the teams apart. The closest they came was at the 2010 World Cup, when England would have faced Argentina in the quarter-finals had they beaten Germany in the Round of 16. In 2022, Argentina played Italy in the Finalissima at Wembley, a match that would have been against England had the Three Lions not lost to Italy on penalties in the Euro 2021 final.
Messi relishes 'special' first meeting with England
Messi, who has scored 125 goals for Argentina, expressed his excitement ahead of the semi-final. 'The truth is, yes, it is always special to play against the big teams. It never happened to me against England, it's the first time, so it's going to be a special match, a World Cup semi-final,' he said after the quarter-final win over Switzerland. 'Obviously, everything I saw and remember is from videos and images that Argentinians constantly watch and relive [from 1986]. But I think this group is used to playing football matches regardless of the opponent.'
He added: 'Personally, it's the first time I'm going to play against them. I've played against everyone except England, so it's going to be nice for that reason too. And to experience it for what it is – a World Cup semi-final against a powerhouse, a great team, and we will try to arrive in the best possible shape to compete again.'
Storied World Cup history between England and Argentina
The last competitive meeting between the two nations was at the 2002 World Cup, when England won 1-0 thanks to a David Beckham penalty after Michael Owen was fouled by Mauricio Pochettino. That victory avenged the 1998 Round of 16 clash, where Argentina won on penalties after Beckham was sent off for kicking Diego Simeone.
Arguably the most iconic encounter was the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, where Diego Maradona scored two legendary goals: the 'Hand of God' and the 'Goal of the Century,' dribbling 50 yards past several England players. England had won the previous meeting in the 1966 World Cup quarter-final 1-0 en route to their only title, and also beat Argentina 3-1 in the 1962 group stage. Overall, England lead the head-to-head record with four wins to Argentina's two.
