Messi vs. Bellingham could be the story of the World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina

ATLANTA (AP) — It's England vs. Argentina in the World Cup semifinals. It's also Lionel Messi vs. Jude Bellingham.

The battle of the two No. 10s could be pivotal to deciding Wednesday's match in Atlanta.

“We know how good Messi is,” England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford said of the Argentina great, whose enduring brilliance has been on show again even at the age of 39.

Messi and Bellingham have been inspirational in their teams' respective runs to the final four. And Wednesday's match may well be determined by which one has the biggest say on the day.

Messi is playing England for the first time in his storied career.

“He's scored so many goals and contributed to so many goals as well throughout his career, it's great to finally go up against him,” Pickford said.

Messi is already considered by many to the be greatest soccer player of all time and he seems to be on a mission to settle the debate about where he stands in the history of the sport.

Already the all-time top scorer in the World Cup with 21 goals, he could surpass Argentina icon Diego Maradona by leading his country to back-to-back world titles.

His eight goals in the tournament so far have been pivotal to Argentina's run and his moments of magic have dragged his team through big scares against Cape Verde and Egypt.

With Maradona as captain, Argentina won the World Cup in 1986 and was runner-up four years later when it lost to West Germany in the final.

“Trying to draw inspiration from what Diego did is difficult. Only Leo can do that,” said Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. “Diego is a national icon for us, and hopefully, we can achieve something similar to what that team did.”

England has a talisman of its own in the form of Bellingham, who is at the opposite end of his career to Messi.

At the age of 23, Bellingham is already playing in his second World Cup and his fourth major tournament for England. He has six goals, including two each in the last two rounds against Mexico and Norway.

Not bad for a player who was dropped by coach Thomas Tuchel in the lead-up to the World Cup, prompting debate about whether he'd even be in England's starting XI.

For a long time Bellingham has not only been considered one of English soccer's brightest talents, but one of the global game's biggest names.

Yet his relationship with Tuchel cast doubt over his role in the England team, with Morgan Rogers threatening to take his place.

There is no doubt anymore about a player who Tuchel described as "world class” after his double against Norway in the quarterfinals.

Bellingham is different type of No. 10 to Messi, relying on his athleticism, power and speed when running beyond defenders. He is also technically gifted with his touch and range of passing, but arguably no one can rival Messi's individual control of the ball, his dribbling ability or vision.

Bellingham's maturity always stood out. He made his debut for second-division Birmingham at 16 and despite many of England's top teams wanting to sign him, he resisted the likes of Manchester United and moved to Borussia Dortmund in Germany instead.

Birmingham knew it had lost a special talent and said it was retiring his No. 22 jersey despite him playing less than 50 games for the club.

After starring for Dortmund, Bellingham joined Real Madrid, wore the great Zinedine Zidane's No. 5 and helped the Spanish giant to the Champions League and Spanish title in his first season in 2024. That same year he was part of England's team that reached the final of the European Championship, scoring an overhead kick in stoppage time to save his country from elimination earlier in the tournament.

With a record like that, it should come as little surprise that Bellingham, along with captain Harry Kane, who also has six goals, has been such an inspiration at this World Cup.

“Everyone talks about Messi because he's one of the GOATs of the game, but you can't look past the ability and talent we have in the squad,” Pickford said.

England vs. Argentina is a fierce rivalry that goes beyond the soccer field, with tensions also relating to the 1982 conflict over the Falklands Islands.

There have been numerous clashes at the World Cup.

Argentina captain Antonio Rattin, whose death was announced on Saturday, was sent off in a bad-tempered quarterfinal match against winner England in 1966.

Maradona scored his infamous “Hand of God” goal in 1986 - and England also felt aggrieved when David Beckham was sent off for kicking out against Diego Simeone in 1998 and losing in a penalty shootout.

Most recently England beat Argentina in the group phase in 2002, with Beckham scoring from the penalty spot.

Rather than being weighed down by the disappointments of previous clashes, Kane said it was that win that stood out in his mind.

“We all knew what Beckham went through previously against Argentina and that kind of redemption story of scoring that penalty, his celebration, he’s pulling the shirt and his face.

“I think that’s one of my favourite England memories," Kane told ITV. “That was always one of my favourite memories, Beckham being a big idol of mine, so that one stands out for sure.”

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) dribbles the ball during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match against Switzerland in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Jude Bellingham, left, and Harry Kane celebrates England's victory over Norway in a World Cup quarterfinal soccer match in Miami Gardens, Fla., Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after defeating Switzerland in the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

England's Jude Bellingham (10) celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Norway and England in Miami Gardens, Fla., Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) celebrates scoring their second goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Argentina and Egypt in Atlanta, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the penalty spot after a heady play by teenager Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro added another goal and Spain advanced to its first World Cup final since winning in 2010 with a 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday.

A day after his 19th birthday, Yamal was denied a goal on a close offside call that came soon after Porro's give-and-go with Dani Olmo in the 58th minute had put Spain up 2-0. But it was Yamal's smart play against a veteran defender that put Spain in the lead.

Spain, which will play in the final for only the second time, will face either defending champion Argentina or England on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They face each other on Wednesday in Atlanta.

Kylian Mbappé and France, FIFA’s top-ranked team, were trying to become only the third team to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. They instead will play in the third-place game in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, the day before the final at MetLife Stadium across the river from New York City.

This win on soccer’s biggest stage marked the third summer in a row that Spain beat France in a tournament semifinal match. Yamal scored in a 2-1 win in the 2024 European Championship semifinals just days before his 17th birthday, and La Roja won 5-4 in Nations League play last year.

After a quarterfinal win over Belgium last Friday, Yamal said he believed France should fear Spain. Those words certainly proved true.

Oyarzabal’s penalty kick in the 22nd minute came after Yamal drew a foul when kicked by defender Lucas Digne.

After a poor first touch with his head, Digne was trying to clear the ball when Yamal raced in from behind to challenge in the penalty area. The ball hit off the elbow of the leaping teen before he was kicked by Digne, playing in his 63rd game for France only six days before his 33rd birthday.

Oyarzabal’s fifth goal of this year’s World Cup marked the first time either team had trailed in their seven games in this tournament. It was his 30th goal in 60 international games for Spain.

Porro broke free for the second goal and received a pass back from Olmo, who got the touch just before getting knocked off his feet by defender Dayot Upamecano.

France had allowed only two goals in its first six games in this tournament. Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón has six shutouts while allowing only one goal in seven games so far.

Spain had two other real scoring chances in the first half.

There was the a free kick from just beyond the box after Adrien Rabiot drew a yellow card for a foul on Olmo in the eighth minute. Alex Baena’s kick went directly into the wall of French players.

After France goalkeeper Mike Maignan’s attempted clearing pass in the 38th minute instead went straight to Baena, there were several quick nifty passes before Fabian Ruiz's close-range shot was denied.

Spain’s run at this year's World Cup has extended its unbeaten streak in regular time to 37 matches (28 wins and nine draws) since March 2024. That broke the country’s previous record of 35 in a row from 2007-09.

The loss broke France’s record-matching streak of six consecutive World Cup wins, which also was accomplished in the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Referee Ivan Barton, of El Salvador, gestures to Spain's Lamine Yamal during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Spain's Pedro Porro scores his side's second goal during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Spain's Lamine Yamal (19) reacts during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

France's Kylian Mbappe (10) reacts after Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal (21) scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

France's William Saliba (17) is checked on by France's Aurelien Tchouameni (8) and Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal (21) after being injured during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal scores the opening goal from the penalty spot past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Spain's Mikel Merino (6) celebrates scoring their second goal during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Spain and Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

France's Kylian Mbappe participates in a training session ahead of the team's semifinal soccer match against Spain, Monday, July 13, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)