​Argentina had just beaten Switzerland in extra time, and already Albiceleste manager Lionel Scaloni was focused on his next mission: Keep the temperature down as Argentina heads into a 2026 World Cup semifinal with England.“It’s a soccer match. The message is it’s a soccer match. We’re not looking for anything else. It’s a soccer match,” Scaloni said in his news conference after the 3-1 victory over the Swiss. “We’re going to play a game against a great national team who has a great coach that I appreciate, admire a lot. It’s a soccer match. Period. There’s no more than that.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt is wise management for Scaloni to try to keep the temperature down on a matchup that often has boiled over. It also might not be possible for him to keep a lid on things.1 / 6Messi’s Argentina and Switzerland collide in a World Cup quarterfinal with a place in the semifinals at stake.See moments from the showdown in Kansas City as the defending champions try to keep their title defense alive against an upstart Swiss side.Above, Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina warms up before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium on July 11, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri.(Carl Recine, Getty Images)Already, footage has emerged of a fight between England and Argentina fans in Miami at the Three Lions’ win over Norway. That certainly is not to say there will be incidents of fan violence. Cooler heads largely have prevailed this tournament, with security characteristically strong in the U.S.Still, it is difficult to express what this match means to Argentina fans, with a number of factors converging to make the buildup to Wednesday’s match one rarely experienced, even in a country that experiences soccer in as passionate a way as Argentina.For one, the match will be the first time Lionel Messi has faced England. The 39-year-old’s generation somehow has missed out on crossing paths with the Three Lions until now. The teams last met in a 2005 friendly match in Switzerland, as England won 3-2 thanks to a Michael Owen double and a goal from Wayne Rooney.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNow, Messi has his own chance to write World Cup history against England.”Honestly, it’s special. It’s a special game because it’s my first time. I’ve played against everyone except England, and it’s special because it’s a great national team, a power,” Messi said Saturday night after the win over Swizterland. “It’s always nice to play against teams like that, in this style of game, plus at a semifinal of a World Cup.”1 / 20Argentine player Lionel Messi plays with a ball during a training session at Herzogs Park, Herzogenaurach on June 6, 2006, ahead of the Fifa World Cup 2006.(DANIEL GARCIA, AFP via Getty Images)With the 2022 World Cup title, Messi ascended to the same status as Argentina legend Diego Armando Maradona, whose most famous and infamous moments came against Englan