Lionel Messi opens up on his participation plans for the FIFA World Cup next year
The 38-year-old claimed a great pre-season with Inter Miami will decide his fate
28 teams have qualified for the 48-team spectacle as of yet
Argentina captain Lionel Messi has dropped a major hint about his potential participation in the FIFA World Cup next year in the USA, Mexico and Canada, which will see 48 teams participating for the very first time.
As nations around the world attempt to fill up the remaining 20 spots for the World Cup, the entire footballing fraternity is curious whether Lionel Messi will be there with Argentina or not.
The record 8-time Ballon D'or winner, who recently extended his contract with Inter Miami until December 2028, could be making his final appearance in the show-piece event next summer. Argentina will enter the 48-team spectacle as the reigning champions with an aim to go for back-to-back World Cup triumphs.
During the previous edition in 2022, the Argentinians had landed their 3rd World Cup trophy in Qatar and first since 1986. That was made possible, largely due to the clutch performances and contributions from their captain Lionel Messi himself.
The 38-year-old experienced an outstanding campaign, scoring 7 goals with 3 assists from 7 matches. Not only did he score thrice in the finale at the Lusail Stadium, Messi had a goal or two in every knockout stage match and was also adjudged as Player of the tournament for the 2nd time in his career.
On the back of that extraordinary World Cup campaign, Lionel Messi had also bagged the Ballon D'or award for the 8th time in 2023, topping Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, who were placed 2nd and 3rd in the rankings.
But a lot has changed since then. Lionel Messi has left Europe and found a new home in the MLS, where is the marquee player for David Beckham's Inter Miami. The level of the competition and football has certainly lowered but he continues to mesmerize everyone with his performances.
Messi has 50 goals and 35 assists from a total of 53 matches for the Miami and he believes that a good pre-season with the club next year will be a decisive factor behind his World Cup 2026 participation.
While speaking to a media outlet recently, the Argentinian opened up about his World Cup 2026 plans and claimed that he wants to play an important part for the team.
"The truth is that yes, it’s something extraordinary to be able to be in a World Cup. And I would like to be there. To feel well and to be an important part of helping my national team, if I am there. And I’m going to assess that on a day-to-day basis when I start preseason next year with Inter and see if I can really be 100%." - Messi told NBC reporter Tom Llamas.
Lionel Messi also expressed his excitement around the idea of defending the World Cup and said that playing for Argentina in major competitions is always a dream for him.
"I’m really eager because it’s a World Cup. We’re coming off winning the last World Cup, and being able to defend it on the field again is spectacular because it’s always a dream to play with the national team, especially in official competitions." - Messi concluded.
Teams Qualified For the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Co-hosts: Canada, Mexico, USA
AFC: Australia, IR Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan
CAF: Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
CONMEBOL: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
OFC: New Zealand
UEFA: England
