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Messi Hints at 2026 World Cup Appearance: “I’d Love to Be There”
Lionel Messi says he’d love to play for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup but will decide next year based on his fitness and form with Inter Miami.
Argentina’s football icon Lionel Messi has expressed his desire to feature at the 2026 FIFA World Cup but says his final decision will depend on how his body holds up as the tournament approaches.
The 38-year-old Inter Miami forward, who captained Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup, said representing his country again on football’s biggest stage would be “extraordinary.”
In an interview with NBC News aired on Monday, Messi revealed that he will take a cautious approach before committing to what would likely be his final World Cup appearance, to be held across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
“It’s something extraordinary to be able to be in a World Cup and I would love to,” Messi said. “I would like to be there, to be well and 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%, if I can be useful to the group, to the national team, and then make a decision.”
Messi, who turns 39 next June, said he remains highly motivated after leading the “Albiceleste” to their third World Cup title in Qatar two years ago.
“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,” he said. “It’s always a dream to play with the national team, especially in official competitions.”
Having started his professional career with Barcelona in 2004, Messi later joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 before making a high-profile move to Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami in 2023.
Reflecting on his life in the United States, Messi described Miami as an ideal home for his family.
“The truth is that I like everything about living here,” he said. “I spent a lot of time in Barcelona, which for me is an extraordinary city where I grew up and had many spectacular moments. But Miami allows us to live very well, to enjoy life, to be calm, and for the kids to be themselves.”
With 195 international appearances and 114 goals for Argentina, Messi remains the country’s all-time top scorer and a central figure as fans hope for one final World Cup appearance from their legendary captain.
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