Messi to Face England for the First Time: Argentina Captain Previews Historic World Cup 2026 Semi-Final

Argentina's quest to defend their world title rolls on. In a tense quarter-final in Kansas City, La Albiceleste battled through extra time despite a red card that captain Lionel Messi admitted turned the match on its head. Speaking to ESPN Argentina, Messi revealed the game was tougher than expected but praised his side's resilience: "This team is used to doing extraordinary things. It's not easy to come back after winning the World Cup, keep winning everything, and still be among the top four. That's not normal — we have to enjoy it." He noted that the sending off completely shifted the dynamics: "They kept equalizing, we couldn't hold the ball, we sat too deep. The red card changed everything, but it was still difficult." On Wednesday in Atlanta, Argentina will meet England in the semi-finals. Remarkably, despite his legendary career, Messi has never played against the Three Lions. "Everything I know about the 1986 match comes from videos that Argentines keep watching and reliving. Playing England is special because they are a strong team. We'll try to be in our best shape," the forward stated. Midfielder Rodrigo De Paul echoed the sentiment: "We believe in what we do. Scaloni said it's just a football match, though a very important one. We make the fans suffer, but fortunately we're in the top four."