Argentina international, Lionel Messi has ruled himself out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup scheduled to take place in three countries in North America.
Lionel Messi will be 36 years old on June 24, 2023, which means that before the World Cup which will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, he will be almost 39 years old.
Hence, the 2022 FIFA World Cup which ended in Qatar in December could be Messi’s last appearance at the tournament in his football career.
Fortunately, after trying to win the trophy in four editions of the tournament, the Argentina international finally succeeded in winning the prestigious tournament last year.
He didn’t only win it, Lionel Messi finished the tournament as the edition’s best footballer after scoring 7 goals and providing three assists in the tournament.
During an interview, Messi was asked if he would feature in the 2026 edition of the tournament, the record seven times Ballon d’Or winner who is expected to play for Inter Miami in the coming weeks responded: “I think not. [Qatar] was my last World Cup.”
He added, “I’ll see how things go, but as it is right now, no, I won’t go to the next World Cup.”
Lionel Messi has won virtually everything in both club and international football including the Copa America and the prestigious World Cup, hence, his retirement from the game won’t come as a surprise to most of his fans.
