Messi Calls England a Powerhouse Ahead of Historic World Cup Semifinal

Lionel Messi has played 205 matches for Argentina and never once faced England. That streak ends Wednesday in Atlanta, in a World Cup semifinal that carries six decades of baggage he says he simply does not need.

Argentina reached the last four by beating ten-man Switzerland 3-1 after extra time, with a decisive long-range effort by Julián Alvarez settling a match Switzerland had leveled through Dan Ndoye. England got past Norway 2-1 in extra time behind two Jude Bellingham goals. Now the two sides meet at a World Cup for the first time since 2002, and Messi has already made clear he wants no part of the old script.

Playing Against England Is Special

Messi addressed the fixture directly in the mixed zone after Saturday’s win over Switzerland, and his answer skipped past the politics entirely.

Playing against England is special because they are a powerhouse. Personally, it will be the first time I’m going to play against them.

Messi said that in Kansas City, moments after Argentina booked its ticket to Atlanta. He is 39 years old, has scored a tournament-high eight goals this summer (tied with Kylian Mbappé), and has spent two decades as the face of Argentine football. Facing the Three Lions was never on his résumé until now.

He did not dodge the history entirely. Messi said he remembers the 1986 meeting only through videos and photos, since he was not yet alive to see it live, and admitted Argentines watch replays of that game constantly. But he pivoted fast, describing a group that has treated every knockout match the same way regardless of the name on the other bench. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has leaned on that same message all tournament, insisting he always consults Messi on major decisions rather than dictating them.

A Rivalry Reignited Days After Rattín’s Death

The timing carries its own weight. This year’s meeting arrives only days after the death of Antonio Rattín, the Argentina captain whose furious, police-escorted exit from the 1966 quarterfinal helped turn a soccer rivalry into something angrier. England won that game 1-0 on the way to their only title.

Twenty years later, Diego Maradona flipped the story in Mexico City, scoring twice as Argentina beat England 2-1 in what fans still call the Match of the Century. Argentina beat England again in 1998, on penalties in the Round of 16, before England won the two nations’ only meeting since, a 2002 group-stage match that stands as Argentina’s last defeat in the series.

Scaloni has spent this tournament waving off a related strand of noise, the suggestion that Argentina benefits from favorable officiating. Ahead of the Switzerland match, he dismissed accusations of favorable refereeing treatment, telling reporters more people simply want to see the defending champions lose than any other team left in the field.

Argentina’s Bumpy Road to the Last Four

None of Argentina’s four knockout matches have been comfortable. The scoreline in Atlanta will not care how the team got there, but the path says something about what Wednesday might look like.

• Round of 32: Argentina needed extra time to get past Cape Verde, a team playing in its first-ever World Cup.
• Round of 16: Argentina erased a two-goal deficit in the final 11 minutes of regulation to stun Egypt 3-2.
• Quarterfinal: Argentina required extra time again to see off a ten-man Switzerland side, 3-1, after Breel Embolo’s second-half red card.

Earlier in the tournament, that reliance on late heroics drew real criticism at home. One strand of commentary flagged Argentina’s over-reliance on Messi to create chances after the group stage, arguing the supporting cast was not doing enough to stretch defenses. Argentina has since won three straight knockout matches anyway, all a game already unbeaten in 12 straight World Cup matches dating back to the 2022 final.

Five Meetings, One Slight Edge for England

The all-time series is closer to even than the emotion around it suggests, but the numbers still lean England’s way heading into game six.

That works out to three wins for England, one for Argentina and one draw decided on penalties, across the two countries’ first five meetings at the tournament. Argentina now arrives ranked second in the world, England fourth, and this is the first time since FIFA introduced its rankings in 1992 that all four top-ranked nations have reached the same World Cup semifinal.

Who Are the Experts Picking to Win?

Nobody covering this tournament closely is fully certain, and the split says plenty about how even this matchup looks on paper. ESPN’s own panel of soccer writers could not agree on a winner, splitting almost down the middle between an Argentina edge built on penalty pedigree and an England case built on momentum.

• Gabriele Marcotti (ESPN senior writer) predicts a scoreless draw settled by penalties, in Argentina’s favor.
• James Olley (ESPN senior writer) picks England 1, Argentina 2, calling the game attritional but leaning toward Argentina’s edge.
• Julio Becherano (ESPN writer) sees a 2-2 draw with Argentina winning on penalties, pointing to goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez’s shootout record.
• Jeff Carlisle (ESPN senior writer) backs England 2-1, arguing Messi and Argentina look like they are running low on energy.

Bookmakers have their own read. Most sportsbooks list Under 2.5 goals as the favored outcome, reflecting England’s defensive discipline under manager Thomas Tuchel and Argentina’s habit of shutting games down once ahead. Even so, Messi is priced shorter than Harry Kane at several books, despite England technically entering as favorites.

Messi’s Last Dance Still Has Unfinished Business

Age has not slowed him much. Scaloni played down fitness concerns after Messi logged 120 minutes against Cape Verde, saying his captain reported no issues despite his age. Messi backed that up by scoring in the round of 16 and setting up Alexis Mac Allister’s opener against Switzerland.

Jude Bellingham presents the other half of this story. His two goals against Norway made him the first player to score multiple goals in consecutive World Cup knockout matches since Maradona did it in 1986, and at 23 he is the reason England, winners of exactly one World Cup, in 1966, could reach their first final since. Tuchel has called his own team lucky to be here. Argentina’s players have called themselves the same.

Win or lose Wednesday, Messi has one match left in the shirt he has worn 205 times, against a team he had never shared a pitch with until now.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time does Argentina vs England kick off?

The semifinal kicks off Wednesday, July 15 at 3 p.m. ET (8 p.m. BST) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, airing on Fox and Telemundo in the United States with streaming available through the Fox Sports app and Peacock.

Why haven’t Argentina and England met at a World Cup since 2002?

Bracket luck is the simple answer. FIFA’s seeding rules kept the tournament’s top two ranked teams, Spain and Argentina, in the opposite half of the draw from the third and fourth ranked teams, France and England, meaning the sides could not meet before the semifinals in this format.

Has Lionel Messi ever played against England before?

No. Across 205 appearances for Argentina, Messi has never faced England in an official match or friendly, making Wednesday’s semifinal his first career meeting with the Three Lions.

Who do bookmakers favor to win?

Most sportsbooks list Under 2.5 total goals as the favored betting line, anticipating a tight, low-scoring semifinal shaped by England’s defensive setup and Argentina’s tendency to control games once in front.

What happens to the winner?

The winner advances to the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium, where they will face the winner of France against Spain, who meet a day earlier in Dallas.