rewrite this title Messi relishing Argentina’s World Cup showdown with ‘powerhouse’ England

Lionel Messi is relishing the chance to go up against a “powerhouse” nation when Argentina take on England in the World Cup semi-finals.

Argentina continued their quest to retain their title as they overcame 10-man Switzerland 3-1 after extra time in the quarter-finals at Kansas City Stadium.

Messi failed to score in a match for the first time this tournament, albeit he still laid on an assist for Alexis Mac Allister’s opener.

The 39-year-old became the second player on record (since 1966) to record 10+ goal contributions in multiple World Cups (2022 and 2026) after Kylian Mbappe (2022 and 2026).

England, meanwhile, beat Norway 2-1 thanks to Jude Bellingham’s double, setting up an intriguing semi-final showdown with their old rivals Argentina.

It will mark the first time eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi has gone up against the Three Lions, and he is excited at the prospect.

“Everything I have seen and remember [about Argentina v England from 1986] is from videos and images that Argentinians constantly watch and relive,” Messi told ESPN Argentina.

“But I think this group is used to playing football matches regardless of the opponent.

“Obviously, playing against England is special because they are a powerhouse, and matches against powerhouses are always special. Personally, it’s the first time I’m going to play against them. I’ve played against [all the big nations] except England, so it will be nice for that reason too.

“And we’ll experience it for what it is: A World Cup semifinal against a powerhouse, a great team, and we’ll try to arrive in the best possible shape to compete again.”

13 – Lionel Messi has only scored more international goals against nations beginning with the letters B (17) and C (16) than the letter E.

Erudition. pic.twitter.com/1ibQG0GhpS

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 12, 2026

Not counting penalty shoot-outs, England have lost just two of their 14 internationals against Argentina (W6 D6).

They did lose on penalties in the 1998 World Cup, while there was also the famous quarter-final victory for Argentina 40 years ago, with Diego Maradona taking centre stage in Mexico City.

Once again discounting penalty shoot-outs, England are unbeaten across their last five internationals against Argentina (W2 D3), winning each of the last two in succession, with the most recent a 3-2 friendly victory in November 2005 thanks to a Michael Owen brace and Wayne Rooney strike.

Argentina have won all six of their matches at this World Cup, now their longest outright winning run in competition history.

Each of their last four matches have also seen them net exactly three goals, as they could become just the second side in World Cup history to net 3+ goals in five consecutive matches after France across the 2022 and 2026 editions.

“We are very proud to be among the top four teams in the world,” said Julian Alvarez, who put Argentina ahead against Switzerland with a sensational strike in extra time.

“England, we know, has impressive players. They are a great team that’s been doing things well [this World Cup] but we need to recuperate and prepare our game.