Lionel Messi addresses World Cup future ahead of MLS move

Lionel Messi sounds prepared to make hoisting the World Cup trophy his final significant action related to such a tournament. 

Per Adriana Garcia of ESPN, Messi addressed possibly participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup while speaking with Chinese sports outlet Titan Sports on Tuesday. 

"I think not," Messi said. "[Qatar] was my last World Cup. I'll see how things go, but as it is right now, no, I won't go to the next World Cup."

Messi, Argentina's captain, guided the country to World Cup glory during the tournament held in Qatar this past fall. As mentioned by Ben Miller and Joshua Thomas of Sporting News, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner made history by becoming the first man to win the Golden Ball as the top overall player in a World Cup twice since the award was introduced in 1982. Messi first earned that honor in 2014.

According to Chris Burton of Goal, Argentina national coach Lionel Scaloni expressed optimism back in February that Messi could play in the 2026 World Cup that will feature matches held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. 

"We have the door open for him and if we see no, we’ll look for an alternative," Scaloni said at that time. "I hope he makes it to the next World Cup, I can see him there, but I think the first thing is to qualify." 

Messi is preparing to leave Paris Saint-Germain once his contract expires at the end of June and is expected to join Major League Soccer and club Inter Miami. The superstar, who turns 36 years old on June 24, theoretically could be used for promotional projects heading into the World Cup held in North America, and it's worth noting he didn't necessarily slam the door shut on playing in the summer of 2026. 

TalkSport's Jack Johnson explained in December 2022 how Messi temporarily retired from international duty back in 2016 before he had second thoughts about that decision.