FORT LAUDERDALE — Inter Miami CF captain Leo Messi and midfielder Rodrigo De Paul will represent Argentina against England in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal at Atlanta Stadium, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. ET Wednesday.
The match marks Messi’s record-extending 32nd World Cup appearance and his first-ever competitive encounter with England. The last time Argentina and England met was a friendly in 2005, with their most recent World Cup clash coming in 2002. In 14 all-time meetings, England holds a 6-3 advantage with five draws, though five of those matchups have come on the World Cup stage.
Messi enters the semifinal after registering the assist on Argentina’s opening goal in a 3-1 extra-time victory over Switzerland in the quarterfinals at Kansas City Stadium. That assist gave him 10 career World Cup assists, making him the first player in tournament history to reach that mark. He also holds the international record for most World Cup goals with 21 and most World Cup matches played at 32.
De Paul, who has earned 92 caps and scored two goals for Argentina, started and played a key role in midfield against Switzerland. The versatile midfielder is featuring in a World Cup for a second time after helping Argentina lift the trophy in 2022.
Argentina’s path to the semifinal has been dominant. La Albiceleste posted a perfect group-stage record with a 3-0 win over Algeria, a 2-0 victory against Austria and a 3-1 defeat of Jordan. In the knockout rounds, Argentina edged Cape Verde 3-2 in the Round of 32, Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16 and Switzerland 3-1 in the quarterfinals after extra time.
England reached the semifinal through a more grinding route, topping Group L with seven points before defeating DR Congo 2-1 in the Round of 32, Mexico 2-3 in the Round of 16 and Norway 1-2 in the quarterfinals — the latter two requiring comeback victories in extra time.
Messi, who holds the Argentina records for most caps at 205 and most goals at 125, has guided the national team to the 2021 and 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América titles, the 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions crown and the 2022 FIFA World Cup championship. He remains the only player in history to score in the World Cup group stage, Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final. Fans can watch Wednesday’s match live on FOX in English and on Telemundo and Peacock in Spanish.