{"id":22481,"date":"2025-10-28T11:27:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T10:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=22481"},"modified":"2025-10-28T11:27:38","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T10:27:38","slug":"messi-eyes-final-world-cup-glory-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/28\/messi-eyes-final-world-cup-glory-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Messi Eyes Final World Cup Glory in 2026."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (FN) \u2014 Lionel Messi says he hopes to represent Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup but will base his decision on his physical condition during next year\u2019s preseason with Inter Miami.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 38-year-old forward, who led Argentina to its third World Cup title in Qatar in 2022, said he dreams of helping his country defend the trophy in North America, where the United States, Mexico, and Canada will co-host the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something extraordinary to be able to be in a World Cup, and I would love to,\u201d Messi told NBC News in an interview aired Monday. \u201cI would like to be there, to be well and be an important part of helping my national team, if I am there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messi, who turns 39 next June, said he will evaluate his readiness during Inter Miami\u2019s preseason in early 2026. \u201cI\u2019m 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has not publicly commented on Messi\u2019s remarks, but team officials have previously stated that the door remains open for the veteran forward should he choose to return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messi emphasized that the chance to defend Argentina\u2019s title is a powerful motivator. \u201cWe\u2019re coming off winning the last World Cup, and being able to defend it on the field again is spectacular,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s always a dream to play with the national team, especially in official competitions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The eight-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner began his professional career with FC Barcelona in 2004 and made his senior debut at age 17. He later played for Paris Saint-Germain before joining Major League Soccer\u2019s Inter Miami in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messi said he has adapted well to life in the United States. \u201cMiami is a city that allows us to live very well, enjoy life, be calm, and let the kids be themselves,\u201d he said. \u201cI spent a lot of time in Barcelona, which we miss a lot, but we\u2019re happy here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Argentina fans and football analysts have responded with cautious optimism. Social media platforms lit up with messages of support, with many urging Messi to play one final World Cup. \u201cIf he feels ready, we\u2019ll be behind him all the way,\u201d one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messi remains Argentina\u2019s all-time leading scorer, with 114 goals in 195 international appearances. His legacy includes four World Cup campaigns, a Copa Am\u00e9rica title, and a reputation as one of the sport\u2019s most influential figures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (FN) \u2014 Lionel Messi says he hopes to represent Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup but will base his decision on his physical condition during next year\u2019s preseason with Inter Miami. The 38-year-old forward, who led Argentina to its third World Cup title in Qatar in 2022, said he dreams of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-international","category-sports"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Lionel-Messi.jpeg?fit=885%2C506&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22481"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22489,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22481\/revisions\/22489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}