The knockout rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup are now underway, and with teams beginning to map out their potential paths to the final, one question is gripping football fans on both sides of the Atlantic — could England and Argentina finally be set for a semi-final collision?

Canada set the tone

The round of 32 opened on Sunday when co-hosts Canada claimed what may be the greatest result in their footballing history. A stoppage-time strike from Stephen Eustaquio was enough to eliminate South Africa and send the home crowd into raptures. The remaining last-32 fixtures are spread across the next five days.

England's immediate task

Thomas Tuchel's England side face DR Congo on Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta. Their route through the draw avoided several of the tournament's heavyweight contenders, but the road to the final is far from straightforward.

Should England advance, their last-16 opponents would be the winner of the Tuesday clash between Mexico and Ecuador — a tie that could see the Three Lions square up against co-hosts Mexico in the iconic Azteca Stadium.

Messi — in a class of his own

Lionel Messi, who turned 39 last week, has been the undisputed player of the tournament. He has scored six goals across Argentina's group stage campaign — all three matches of which Argentina won — to move to the summit of the all-time World Cup goalscoring rankings.

Argentina's reward for topping their group is a last-32 tie against Cape Verde, the tournament's standout surprise package. Their projected last-16 opponent would be the winner of Australia vs Egypt, a fixture that has already captured imaginations — Mohamed Salah against Messi on the World Cup stage would be nothing short of spectacular.

The path to a historic semi-final

Even if both sides progress as expected through the last 32 and last 16, they would not collide until the semi-final stage. England's projected quarter-final opponent would be Brazil, provided the Seleção come through their last-32 tie against Japan and then the winners of the Ivory Coast vs Norway match. Argentina, meanwhile, would face the winner of a quarter-final pitting either Switzerland or Algeria against either Colombia or Ghana.

Should both navigate those ties, the two rivals would meet in a semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday, 15 July.

A rivalry frozen in time

Remarkably, such a meeting would be the first time Messi has ever faced England in a senior international fixture. Despite earning 202 caps for La Albiceleste across a 21-year international career, Messi has never lined up against the Three Lions.

The two nations last met in a friendly in Geneva in November 2005, a match England won 3-2 thanks to a Wayne Rooney opener and a Michael Owen brace. An 18-year-old Messi had only recently made his senior Argentina debut — though it lasted less than a minute after he was shown a straight red card on his debut against Hungary — meaning he was suspended for that Geneva encounter.

A semi-final meeting would constitute the sixth World Cup clash between these two storied rivals. Their most famous encounters include the 1986 quarter-final, remembered for Diego Maradona's Hand of God and his breathtaking solo run, and the 1998 last-16 tie, marked by Michael Owen's stunning individual goal, David Beckham's red card, and yet another England penalty defeat.