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Lionel Messi has done just about everything in football. Eight Ballon d’Or awards. A World Cup trophy. More goals than most people can count. But here’s something he’s never done: played against England in a competitive match.
That changes on July 15, 2026, when Argentina meets England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final.
The match that never happened, until now
Argentina and England haven’t faced each other in an official match during Messi’s entire international career. The last time the two nations met was a friendly back in November 2005, which England won 3-2. Messi was 18 at the time.
Now he’s 39, likely playing in his final World Cup, and the football gods have finally delivered the matchup everyone’s been waiting for. Argentina, the defending champions, punched their ticket to the semis by beating Switzerland 3-1 in the quarterfinals around July 11, with Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martinez delivering standout performances.
England, meanwhile, topped their group and knocked out Norway in the quarters.
Fan tokens and the Messi effect
Major sporting events, especially ones involving globally recognizable figures like Messi, have a well-documented pattern of driving activity in crypto fan tokens and personality-linked digital assets.
Messi himself has a complicated history with crypto endorsements. He previously lent his name to projects like MESSI COIN and the WATER cryptocurrency, both of which attracted significant attention largely because of his involvement.
The broader pattern: sports events and crypto speculation
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar saw meaningful upticks in trading activity for fan tokens issued by platforms like Socios and Chiliz, particularly around high-profile matches.
What crypto investors should watch
The immediate thing to monitor is trading volume on Messi-associated tokens and broader football fan token platforms in the days leading up to July 15.
Fan tokens have struggled to find a clear value proposition beyond speculation. They’re not quite utility tokens, not quite governance tokens, and not quite collectibles.
The match itself could serve as a classic “sell the news” moment, where tokens that rallied on anticipation give back gains once the event concludes, regardless of the outcome on the pitch.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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