Why England have never faced Argentina’s Lionel Messi, until this semifinal at the Fifa World Cup

Wednesday, 15 July 2026

What: Fifa World Cup semifinal, England v Argentina. Where: Atlanta Stadium. When: 7am Thursday (NZT), TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+.

ANALYSIS: Lionel Messi's record against English clubs is fairly terrifying, with a performance in 2010 perhaps the most memorable.

That night in Barcelona we witnessed something truly extraordinary, with the Argentine genius almost singlehandedly terminating another fruitless Champions League campaign for Arsenal by scoring all four goals in a 4-1 win for the Catalan club.

Afterwards a dazed Arsene Wenger likened him to a 'PlayStation' figure, such was Messi's control of a football. 'He can take advantage of every mistake you make,' the Arsenal manager at the time conceded.

Over 15 years and 35 matches, Messi scored no fewer than 27 times against English opposition. Yet it is only now at this World Cup, in what amounts to one of sport's more surprising anomalies and a moment to more than rival the encounter with Pele's Brazil in 1970, that Messi will face England's national team.

There are several reasons for this. When England last played Argentina, in a friendly in Geneva in November 2005, a teenage Messi was suspended, having been sent off only 47 seconds into his international debut three months earlier. After coming off the bench and embarking on one of those trademark dribbles, Messi tried to escape the clutches of Hungary's Vilmos Vanczak, only to be punished for what the referee deemed a violent elbow. Understandably, an 18-year-old Messi was devastated. It meant, however, he played no part in a 3-2 win for England.

Argentina and England have had some epic contests at the World Cup, most notably in 1986 but also in 1966, 1998 and 2002. But they have not met since David Beckham's penalty secured victory for Sven-Goran Eriksson's side in the group F contest in the Sapporo Dome in Japan.

Speaking to senior figures at the FA last week, there have been other factors too, not least the changes that have been made to the international calendar and the introduction of the Uefa Nations League. At the same time, Argentina usually seem to favour matches within South America or what appear to be more financially lucrative friendlies in the Middle East and North America.

In those brief conversations with the FA, the sheer expense of booking a game against Messi and his compatriots was not considered a major issue. But it does seem to be very expensive, especially since their 2022 World Cup victory. Reports suggest the Argentine Football Association (AFA) has become one of the most commercially valuable national federations, generating more than US$80 million a year in sponsorship revenue and charging between US$3-4 million a match. While these contracts do not appear to include an additional fee for Messi, opponents are charged a premium because of his involvement.

Indeed, court documents filed here in Miami in March point to the existence of such terms, with a promoter suing Messi and the AFA for a breach of contract over a US$7 million deal for exhibition matches against Venezuela and Puerto Rico. The lawsuit alleged that Messi was meant to play for at least 30 minutes, but missed the Venezuela game because he was due to play for Inter Miami in an important fixture the following day.

The case is ongoing but the AFA insisted it had done 'nothing wrong', adding: 'We dutifully carried out all contractual obligations, including fielding the national team in the two friendlies held last October.'

Only last week, more stories emerged in Argentina that might make another federation wary of even dealing with them.

The FBI, it has now been widely reported in the US, is investigating the AFA for possible fraud and money laundering. The Miami Herald said this stems from 'hundreds of millions of dollars in bank transactions linked to the United States', citing 'two law-enforcement sources familiar with the probe in Washington and Miami'.

The Herald credits La Nacion, a newspaper in Argentina, for breaking the original story, which included the allegation that the AFA moved more than US$300 million to banks and companies in South Florida and elsewhere. In particular, the federal investigation is focused on the federation's relationship with a Florida-based company that has handled their overseas commercial agreements.

A spokesman for the AFA said: 'Investigative measures alone do not determine responsibility or guilt.'

This, of course, is a relatively recent development, and does not explain how Messi and England have somehow managed to avoid one another.

Fortunately for those who crave such a contest, the results in Miami and Kansas City have ended what has been an interminably long wait.

Messi will meet England in a World Cup semi-final in Atlanta on Thursday (7am NZT); a box-office contest that is sure to mean ticket prices will soar on Fifa's resale app and every seat on a flight out of the UK will very quickly disappear. Not to mention persuading England fans already here in the US to extend their stay.

With Messi now 39 and having already played an awful lot of football at this tournament, this is probably as good a time as any to meet him. And with Argentina looking fragile at points during their World Cup campaign despite progressing to the last four, England will certainly consider themselves capable of eliminating the defending champions.

Whatever the outcome, we certainly have another moment to savour. A chance, at last, to see England face the finest footballer in history.

– The Times, London