Lionel Messi Announces To Be Uncertain for 2026 World Cup - 'I Haven’t Made a Decision Yet'

The match against Venezuela was expected to be Messi's final World Cup qualifier match of his career, but his other statement did surprise many.

While many expect Messi to be present at the 2026 World Cup next summer, the Argentine star sparked uncertainty as he confirmed that he has yet to decide whether he will be at the upcoming World Cup, which is eight months away.

Messi mentions his age and believes the end is near, but looks forward to continuing to compete in professional football.

Lionel Messi Uncertain on the 2026 World Cup

Messi mentions that he remains motivated to continue playing, but he also knows that his age will prevent him from continuing. The Argentine star reveals that he still doesn't know whether he'll play in the next World Cup, but will decide soon.

Lionel Messi: "Same as I said before about the World Cup that I don’t think I’ll play another...Because of my age, the most logical thing is that I won’t make it. But well, we’re almost there so I’m excited and motivated to play it. Like I always say, I go day by day, match by match. That’s it taking it day by day, going by how I feel. Day by day trying to feel good and above all, being honest with myself. When I feel good, I enjoy it, but when I don’t, honestly, I don’t have a good time, so I prefer not to be there if I don't feel good. So we’ll see. I haven’t made a decision yet about the World Cup."

Messi mentions that his goal is to finish the MLS season strong with Inter Miami and to continue playing matches with Argentina ahead of the World Cup. His decision is expected to be known early next year.

Lionel Messi: "Match by match, I’ll finish the season, then I’ll have preseason, and there will be six months left. So we’ll see how I feel. Hopefully I’ll have a good preseason in 2026 and finish this MLS season well and then I'll decide."