1 of 5 | Argentine Lionel Messi’s eight goals at the 2026 World Cup are tied for the most at the tournament. File Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
England will consider a man-marking strategy against Lionel Messi during Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal, manager Thomas Tuchel told reporters.
Tuchel spoke about the idea when he met with reporters Tuesday in Atlanta. His Three Lions will meet La Albiceleste at 3 p.m. EDT Wednesday at Atlanta Stadium.
Man‑marking is a defensive strategy in which a defender is assigned to closely track and restrict the movement of a specific opposing player throughout the match.
“It’s a big rivalry,” Tuchel said. “It’s two big football nations. … We expect an intense match. We expect an emotional match. I expect a match with a lot of momentum swings. Everything else would surprise me.”
The No. 4 Three Lions are half-goal favorites to advance to their second World Cup Final. With a win, they would meet the top-ranked Spaniards for an attempt to match their 1966 title winning run.
But, they’ll need to eliminate the defending champions, led by arguably the greatest soccer player in history.
Messi, 39, totaled eight goals through his first six games of the 2026 World Cup, which tied with France’s Kylian Mbappe for the most of the tournament. Several of those scores came at crucial moments to carry the No. 3 Argentines to the semifinal.
Tuchel, who criticized his team’s performance in a quarterfinal win over Norway, touted the Three Lions’ improved defense. He also said they need to improve their rhythm, build up and accelerate their attack.
He could decide to use a shadow strategy, or keep a player designated as a man-on-man defender on Messi, instead of a zonal scheme. That approach could hinder Messi’s ability to dictate the game’s tempo.
“I was thinking of this, if we do a proper old-school man mark,” Tuchel said. “Not sure if we follow through with this idea, but it crossed my mind. I think everyone knows the spaces and everyone knows the spaces where he wants to show up.
“If you analyze the matches, you feel like he sees stuff just earlier than anyone else on the field. It’s just like the ball drops to him. He finds the gap. He makes himself this 2-meter space for his left foot and executes the solution on the highest level.”
Tuchel said the Three Lions “found some patterns” to the Argentines’ strategy, but Messi was capable of creating new ones.
“That’s his super strength,” Tuchel said. “That’s just what it is. It’s an exciting setup. It’s very unique to play against the reigning champions. It’s very unique to play against Lionel Messi and his team. It’s unique to play with England against Argentina. It’s just a big match in a big tournament.”
The Argentines have scored a tournament-best 17 goals, with nearly half of that total from Messi. Their 4,162 passes were the most of any team through the quarterfinals.
They are tied with the Spaniards as the most accurate passing team (91%) and logged the highest crossing accuracy (34%) of any knockout stage team.
The Three Lions are the only team in the World Cup with two players who scored at least six goals through the quarterfinal round. Midfielder Jude Bellingham and forward Harry Kane each reached that total. Forward Marcus Rashford scored their only other goal.
Tuchel said the Three Lions have everyone available except suspended defender Jarell Quansah and midfielder Jordan Henderson. Defensive midfielder Declan Rice, who dealt with an illness last week, is expected to start.
The Argentines overcame a 2-0 deficit to beat Egypt in the Round of 16. They then needed extra time to eliminate Switzerland in a quarterfinal Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
But Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni told reporters Tuesday that his team “isn’t playing as bad as people say.”
“We must have done something right to reach this stage,” Scaloni said. “I’m grateful to the players. They’ve led us to three titles and now another semifinal. We’re just one step away, and we’re going to give it our all to get there.”
The England-Argentina clash will air on Fox. The winner will face Spain at 3 p.m. Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J.
FIFA World Cup: Argentina defeats Egypt
Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a goal against Egypt to tie the score 2-2 in the second half of their 2026 FIFA World Cup match in Atlanta on July 7, 2026. Argentina defeated Egypt 3-2. Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
