Messi reveals what could see him play at 2026 World Cup with Argentina | OneFootball

The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico is approaching. Next June, the most important football tournament of all will once again captivate both fans and newcomers alike, paralyzing the entire planet. In this context, the Argentine National Team will attempt to defend the title it won less than three years ago in Qatar.

With that in mind, all eyes are on Lionel Messi. At no less than 38 years of age, “La Pulga” remains at the top of his game, not only with the Albiceleste but also with Inter Miami. For this reason, hardly anyone doubts his presence at the World Cup to be held in North America.

However, the native of Rosario, in the province of Santa Fe, continues to refrain from confirming his participation in the next World Cup. On the contrary, the player who came up through the youth ranks at Newell’s Old Boys in Rosario and who also played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, is being cautious and shares some criteria to keep in mind.

In recent hours, Messi gave statements to ‘NBC News’. In these, the man considered by most to be the greatest footballer of all time expressed his desire to play in what would be his sixth World Cup, after having played in Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022.

Nonetheless, at the same time, Messi pointed out that a series of conditions must be met for him to consider that he can properly represent the Argentine National Team in the tournament. Basically, the Rosario native wants to see himself in optimal condition to be useful to the team strategically led by Lionel Scaloni.

“Play in the 2026 World Cup? I still don’t know. I would like to be at the World Cup and at a good level, to be important and help my national team,” Messi began by saying. Ultimately, unlike what everyone thinks and suggests, the star prefers not to get anyone’s hopes up until he is completely sure that he can be at his best.

“I will evaluate that day by day when I start preseason with Inter Miami. That’s when I’ll see if I can really be at 100% and if I’m capable of being useful for the group, for the Argentine National Team. That’s when I’ll make my decision,” concluded the man who led the Albiceleste to their third World Cup victory in Asia.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.