Though the legendary Lionel Messi has surpassed 200 appearances for his national team and consistently faced many of the world’s top teams in the FIFA World Cup and Copa América, it remains an intriguing historical quirk that the Argentina captain has yet to face England in a match.
Since a friendly encounter in Geneva in November 2005—including the year Messi made his debut for the Albiceleste at age 18—Argentina and England have not faced each other in any international match.
Now, as Messi prepares to challenge Thomas Tuchel’s squad in the second semifinal of the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday, the prospect of playing against England for the first time in his illustrious career excites the GOAT.
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“Playing against England is special because they are a powerhouse, and matches against strong teams always hold significance,” he shared with ESPN. “For me personally, it’s the first time I will face them. I have played against everyone else but England, so this makes it special.”
As Messi prepares for his debut against England, we decided to review his record versus some of the most prominent and successful nations in international men’s football to see how he has performed against top-tier teams.
Messi vs. Brazil: 14 matches (Won 6, Drew 2, Lost 6), 5 goals, 0 assists
Messi’s initial encounter with Argentina’s archrivals Brazil ended in a 3-0 defeat in a friendly at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in 2006. Elano netted the first two goals for Brazil before a slip from Messi led to Kaká scoring the third.
Despite closely contested matches since then, Messi has yet to score in a competitive fixture against Brazil in eight attempts. All five of his goals against the Seleção have come in friendly matches. He participated in two Copa América finals against Brazil: losing in 2007 and triumphing in 2021, but did not register any goal or assist in either.
Notably, he showcased his striking ability in a friendly in New Jersey in June 2012, scoring a spectacular hat trick, including a stunning curled winner, securing a thrilling 4-3 win for Argentina.
Messi vs. France: 3 matches (W2, D0, L1), 3 goals, 2 assists
Messi’s last encounter with France was during the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar, a match that might repeat this summer.
The final in Lusail was an unforgettable showdown, with Messi scoring twice in a nail-biting contest against Kylian Mbappé, who scored twice in the last minutes of regular time, forcing extra time and then scoring again to take the clash to penalties. Messi was the first to convert a penalty as Argentina clinched the trophy for the third time.
In their previous World Cup meeting in 2018, Messi assisted twice but failed to score as Argentina fell 4-3 in a round-of-16 thriller. His first encounter with France was a friendly in Marseille in 2009, where he scored Argentina’s second goal in a straightforward 2-0 victory.
Messi vs. Germany: 4 matches (W2, D0, L2), 1 goal, 0 assists
Against Germany, Messi has experienced mixed results in two World Cup matches and two friendlies. Notably, he has only triumphed in noncompetitive encounters, with Argentina winning friendlies in 2010 and 2012.
Messi was scoreless in his first match against Germany, a 1-0 win at Allianz Arena, before finally scoring during a 3-1 friendly victory in Frankfurt, where he also missed a penalty.
In World Cup competition, however, Germany has bested Argentina in both instances: defeating them 4-0 in the 2010 quarterfinals and edging them out in the 2014 final with a late goal from Mario Götze.
Messi vs. Italy: 1 match (W1, D0, L0), 0 goals, 2 assists
Due to Italy’s recent struggles to qualify for World Cups, Messi has faced them only once, which was during the inaugural Finalissima in 2022—a revival of the old Cup of Champions match between the winners of the European Championship and the Copa América.
Argentina won this match 3-0 at Wembley, and while Messi didn’t score, he significantly influenced the game with assists for Lautaro Martínez and Paulo Dybala, earning him the Player of the Match award.
Messi vs. Spain: 3 matches (W1, D0, L2), 2 goals, 0 assists
Despite his successful career in La Liga, Messi has faced Spain at the international level only three times, all in friendly matches.
The first encounter was a 2-1 defeat in Murcia in 2006, where a young Messi had a quiet performance. The second meeting also resulted in a 2-1 loss, this time in Sevilla, with Messi scoring a penalty as the sole goal for Argentina.
Messi’s most recent clash came the following year when Argentina finally defeated La Roja 4-1 at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, with Messi opening the scoring with a lovely chip shot.
Though a meeting was planned for the 2026 Finalissima in Qatar, it was canceled due to regional conflicts following military strikes.