What happened last time Lionel Messi faced England in FIFA World Cup?
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Argentina will face the Three Lions in the World Cup semi-final.
Argentina aspire to be the first country to win the World Cup again (twice in a row) since Brazil in 1962 and the third country in history.
Argentina advanced to the World Cup semifinals, where they will play England, after Lionel Messi’s team overcame Switzerland 3-1 after extra time.
Argentina and England will play each other for the fifth time in World Cup history, with a 2-2 head-to-head record. This is the first meeting between the two sides since a friendly in 2005.
What happened last time when Lionel Messi faced England?
Lionel Messi has not yet represented Argentina in a senior international match against England. In August 2005, Messi made his Argentina debut. They have only played England once since, on November 12, 2005, and Messi was not present.
In the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinals, Lionel Messi will play his first-ever match against the English national men’s football team.
Over his career, Messi has played 19 World Cup matches against European national teams, winning 13 of them, drawing two, and losing four (including victories in penalty shootouts).
The formidable England were not faced in any of those games. That will change in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal.
Messi will look to increase his total against England. He has eight goals and two assists so far in the 2026 tournament.
When questioned about playing against the Three Lions for the first time in his career, the 39-year-old said:
“Yes, absolutely, matches against the big national teams are always special, and I’ve never played against England before, so it will be a unique game.”
“It’s a World Cup semi-final, and now we’ll rest and prepare for it. We’ve put in a huge effort after going through two extra times and then another match, and that shows sometimes.”
Has Lionel Messi faced England?
No, it will be the first time he faces them.
When is the Argentina vs England match?
On 16th July at 12:30 am IST.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.