England and Argentina will restore their historic rivalry when the two sides go head-to-head in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals on Wednesday at Atlanta Stadium, and, for the first time ever, Lionel Messi will be part of it.
As hard as it might be to believe, it’s true: Messi has never played a match, competitive or exhibition, against England’s men’s national team since making his senior national team debut for Argentina in 2005. His first time playing against England will come on Wednesday, with a spot in the World Cup final on the line.
Messi had the opportunity to play against England in his second-ever international friendly with Argentina in 2005, but he was forced to sit out after receiving a red card 43 seconds into his international debut against Hungary. Argentina lost the match 3-2 with him on the sidelines.
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Aside from the 2005 friendly, England and Argentina simply haven’t crossed paths at international level. Their last scheduled competitive fixture was at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, when David Beckham scored his redemptive penalty against Argentina in the group stage.
The closest Messi has come to playing against England since 2005 was at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. England and Argentina were on track to meet in the final, but England lost to France 2-1 in the quarterfinals.
Messi’s first meeting against England will kick off at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One.