Lionel Messi has played against virtually every major footballing nation on the planet. He’s lifted the World Cup, won the Copa America, and collected enough Ballon d’Or trophies to fill a small apartment. But somehow, in a career spanning two decades of senior international football, the man has never faced England.

That changes on July 15, 2026, when Argentina meets England in the World Cup semifinals.

The match that somehow never happened

Messi has played well over 180 international matches for Argentina. He’s faced Brazil, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Croatia in knockout rounds of major tournaments. Yet England, one of football’s oldest and most storied nations, never appeared on the other side of the pitch.

Argentina punched their ticket to the semifinal by defeating Switzerland 3-1 in the quarterfinals on July 11, 2026. Messi described the upcoming England clash as “special” and “unique” in his post-match comments, acknowledging the novelty of facing a team he’s somehow avoided for his entire career.

Reports had previously surfaced that England sought a friendly against Argentina featuring Messi, but that match never materialized. The World Cup semifinal is, to put it mildly, a more dramatic setting for this debut.