Lionel Messi will confront England for the first time in his international career on Wednesday, when Argentina meet the Three Lions in the World Cup semi-final at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The encounter closes a peculiar historical gap: the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has faced every other major football nation, but a suspension incurred 90 seconds into his senior debut in 2005 ruled him out of a friendly against England later that year, and the sides have not met since. Messi, now 39 and the tournament’s all-time leading scorer with 21 goals, described the fixture as “special because they are a major nation, a powerhouse.”

The roots of the long avoidance lie in Budapest, where an 18-year-old Messi was sent off for an alleged elbow shortly after coming on against Hungary. The resulting ban forced him to miss Argentina’s 3-2 defeat to England in Geneva three months later. In the two decades that followed, no competitive or friendly fixture materialised. Analysts in London note that the English Football Association was reportedly deterred by appearance fees of £3–4 million demanded for any friendly involving Messi, while the logistics of transatlantic travel further complicated arrangements. The World Cup draw has now made the meeting unavoidable.

Argentina enter the match as defending champions, unbeaten in 12 consecutive World Cup games since their opening loss in 2022, and aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy since Brazil in 1962. Messi leads the scoring chart with eight goals in the tournament, though he was kept off the scoresheet in the quarter-final win over Switzerland. England, by contrast, carry a fragile semi-final record: their only victory at this stage came on home soil in 1966, with defeats in 1990 and 2018. Commentators in Jakarta have highlighted this history as a psychological edge for the South Americans.

Perspectives on the match diverge by region. Argentine financial daily Ámbito Financiero points to Messi’s prolific record against English clubs—27 goals in 36 Champions League appearances—as a source of optimism. Indonesian outlets note that Argentina are favoured, citing their depth of scoring beyond Messi, with eight different players having found the net. For England, left-back Nico O’Reilly told the BBC that facing Messi is “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” adding, “For me personally, he’s the best player to ever touch a football pitch.”

The winner will meet either France or Spain in the final at New York’s MetLife Stadium. For Messi, a victory would secure a third final in four World Cups, matching the feat of Brazil’s Cafu, and keep alive the prospect of a second consecutive title—a milestone that even Diego Maradona, whose 1986 quarter-final exploits against England still loom over the fixture, never achieved.