How England can stop Lionel Messi: Thomas Tuchel's blueprint for World Cup success

Despite making over 200 appearances for Argentina and becoming their all-time leading goalscorer with 125 goals, Lionel Messi has never faced England at senior international level.

That will all change on Wednesday night when Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions go head-to-head with Lionel Scaloni's La Seleccion in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Both sides were pushed into extra time during their quarter-final victories, with England narrowly edging past Norway 2-1 while Argentina overcame 10-man Switzerland 3-1.

Throughout World Cup history, England have faced some of the greatest players the game has ever produced, but they now face perhaps their toughest challenge yet as they prepare to stop one of football's greatest ever talents.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how England can attempt to contain Messi and which members of Tuchel's squad have already come up against him.

The England players who have already faced Lionel Messi

Unfortunately for England, only a small number of Tuchel's squad have previous experience of sharing the pitch with Messi at club level.

Harry Kane

England captain Harry Kane came up against Messi during his Tottenham Hotspur days, when Spurs were drawn against Barcelona in the 2018-19 Champions League group stage.

The first meeting at Wembley saw both forwards find the net, although Messi was the decisive figure as he scored twice to help Barcelona secure a 4-2 victory.

The pair met again at Camp Nou later that year, with Tottenham needing a result to progress to the knockout stages. Despite Messi featuring from the bench, Spurs earned a crucial point thanks to Lucas Moura's late equaliser, securing their place in the last 16 before eventually reaching the final.

Kane therefore knows first-hand the challenge of facing Messi, but also has experience of getting a positive result against the Argentine icon.

John Stones

John Stones has faced Messi on multiple occasions during his time with Manchester City, with the England defender involved in two Champions League meetings against Barcelona during the 2016-17 campaign.

The first encounter ended in a nightmare evening for Pep Guardiola's side as Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 victory at Camp Nou, with Messi producing a sensational hat-trick.

However, Stones and City responded in the return fixture at the Etihad Stadium, winning 3-1 despite Messi opening the scoring for the visitors.

The Argentine left such an impression on Stones that, when asked about the toughest opponent he has faced, the defender named Messi as the biggest challenge of his career.

Jordan Henderson

Jordan Henderson has arguably enjoyed the best memories of any England player who has previously faced Messi.

During his time as Liverpool captain, Henderson was part of the side that produced one of the greatest Champions League comebacks of all time, overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit against Barcelona with a famous 4-0 victory at Anfield in 2019.

Messi had scored twice in the first leg, including a stunning free kick, but Henderson helped Liverpool completely nullify Barcelona's attacking threat in the return fixture as they reached the final.

The midfielder went on to lift the Champions League trophy weeks later, meaning he is one of the few England players heading into Wednesday's semi-final with positive memories of facing Messi.

What England can learn from Switzerland's approach to Messi

Unsurprisingly, very few teams have found a way to completely stop Lionel Messi at the 2026 World Cup.

The Argentina captain is level with France's Kylian Mbappe at the top of the tournament scoring charts with eight goals in six matches, averaging a goal every 66 minutes so far.

However, Switzerland provided England with a glimpse of a potential blueprint after becoming the first side to prevent Messi from scoring at this summer's tournament.

The Swiss took Argentina all the way to extra time in their quarter-final clash, holding Lionel Scaloni's side to a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes before Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez eventually ended their hopes with late goals.

Messi still made his mark early on, setting up Argentina's opener after just 10 minutes with his 10th World Cup assist, but Switzerland did an impressive job of limiting his influence for the remainder of the contest.

The 39-year-old completed the full 120 minutes but managed just one shot on target throughout the game, while Gregor Kobel became the first goalkeeper at this year's tournament to prevent Messi from finding the back of the net.

Switzerland's success came from refusing to give Messi the space to take control of the game, with Murat Yakin's side keeping their shape and making it difficult for Argentina's captain to consistently operate in dangerous areas.

Argentina struggled to find their rhythm for long periods, allowing Switzerland to grow into the contest and eventually equalise through Nottingham Forest winger Dan Ndoye.

How England can replicate Switzerland's plan

England will also take encouragement from the fact Messi has now played three matches requiring extra time in the knockout stages, completing 120 minutes against Switzerland just days after another 90-minute outing in the previous round.

Another factor Thomas Tuchel may consider is Messi's work without the ball. Although he remains one of the greatest attacking players in history, Argentina's opponents have often looked to exploit the spaces left when he is not tracking back.

For England, the challenge will be finding the balance between respecting Messi's ability while also attacking the areas where he can be exposed.

The tactical decisions that could decide England's semi-final

For all the focus on stopping Messi, England cannot afford to become completely obsessed with one player and allow Argentina's other attacking threats to thrive.

Thomas Tuchel's biggest decision will be how aggressive he wants his side to be without the ball.

Switzerland showed that keeping a compact shape and limiting the space Messi can operate in can frustrate Argentina, with the Swiss rarely allowing him to receive the ball in dangerous central areas.

England could look to replicate that approach by using a disciplined midfield structure, with Declan Rice, should he play, and the players around him tasked with preventing Messi from turning and driving at the defence.

However, Tuchel will also know that sitting too deep for 90 minutes invites pressure from one of the most dangerous attacks in world football.

While Messi remains one of the greatest attacking players in history, his lack of defensive work rate could give the Three Lions opportunities to target the spaces left behind him when Argentina lose possession.

England's wide players could be key in this regard, with the ability to pin Messi back and force him to contribute more defensively than he would ideally want to.

Finding the right balance between respecting Messi's quality and still imposing their own game could ultimately decide whether England reach their first World Cup final since 1966.