FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread

[Patrol69]

We know Messi is a palyer who is usually in good form in any team he plays for them. He is currently getting old like many other superstar players and Atgantine should try finding a replacement for his place but still, Messi is performing amazingly in Inter Maimi and which is a reason to say he can even help histeam at 39 years old when he gets older than this. We have many old players players in the World Cup.
But I still think they should stop thinking about Messi and give more chances to the younger players.

Every player can't be successful playing with different teams. Very few stands successful and Messi is one amongst and he is a legendary player. Everyone used to get older and the same show changes in the performance. Till date the performance from these players haven't got down due to age factor. However it is the responsibility of these players to develop young players who can carry the team better than what they've done. Most of them have the same thoughts of providing chances for young players, for some time it feel different to watch matches without these players. As time passes we'll see more other names dominating the soccer game. Even now Messi has been nominated for the most valuable player contest.

If Messi is called the best footballer in the world, what would be wrong? Not at all because Messi is a legend and he is undoubtedly one of the best footballers in the world. Lionel Messi has been the biggest contributor behind the 2022 World Cup win, in the 2022 World Cup tournament Messi has prioritized and trusted young players and the players have repaid that trust. Messi has not yet retired from the national team but was rumored to retire after the World Cup tournament. Age may be the reason for him to make such a decision but considering his age he is still a very good performer. It is a blessing for Lionel Messi that he has not suffered many injuries in his long career. An injury destroys a footballer's career which was not the case with Messi, that is why Messi has been able to prove his skills 100%. Lionel Messi can play for the national team for some more time and it will not be a surprise if he plays in the 2026 World Cup.

[virasog]

If Messi is called the best footballer in the world, what would be wrong? Not at all because Messi is a legend and he is undoubtedly one of the best footballers in the world. Lionel Messi has been the biggest contributor behind the 2022 World Cup win, in the 2022 World Cup tournament Messi has prioritized and trusted young players and the players have repaid that trust. Messi has not yet retired from the national team but was rumored to retire after the World Cup tournament. Age may be the reason for him to make such a decision but considering his age he is still a very good performer. It is a blessing for Lionel Messi that he has not suffered many injuries in his long career. An injury destroys a footballer's career which was not the case with Messi, that is why Messi has been able to prove his skills 100%. Lionel Messi can play for the national team for some more time and it will not be a surprise if he plays in the 2026 World Cup.

Lionel Messi is no doubt the world legends player in the football world. We cannot just compare the achievements of this player. He has won a record of seven Ballon d’Or awards, and he holds six European Golden Shoes awards. He has scored over 800+ goals. He won for this country's 2021 Copa America and 2022 FIFA World Cup. What else would you want from a player?

Will Lionel Messi play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup? This is a big question. The fans from the United States will love to see him in action on their grounds but we will wait and see. Although he has said a few times in the interviews that he may not be able to play in the upcoming World Cup.

[tygeade]

2026 is still three years away. Do you believe that Messi would still be motivated to take part in the next world cup? He has achieved whatever he wanted to achieve in football. So why should he carry on playing anymore? Lionel Scaloni may want him in the squad, but even if he includes him a lot of questions will be asked. Another factor that may impact his participation is the fact that Messi no longer plays in one of the stronger leagues. At this point he represents Inter Miami, in Major League Soccer (MLS).

Will where he plays really influence the Argentine coach's decision to call him or not? I think not because Scaloni probably saw something else when calling him up but the question remains does Messi still want to play for Argentina? I was quite doubtful about that because he didn't look like a person who was very ambitious about setting records and so on, so when he didn't play in the next world cup it wasn't because he wasn't called up by the Argentine coach but because he chose to completely retire from the national team of his country, regarding all the achievements he has achieved while Ronaldo may still hope to play in the world cup to get it.

It doesn't have to be one that he wants to win, he already won one, he could just go to have fun, and doesn't matter that he may end up losing as well. This doesn't mean that he won't try to win, it just means that even if he tries to win but loses then it won't hurt as badly because he already got one, that's a very very important difference.

We know that Messi "may" end up playing, he will be about 38 or so when world cup happens in 2026, which is not all that bad and could be played, depends on if he wants to of course, but also it means that we are going to see him not be his best self anymore. I am sensing that the best thing for him would be to give t a chance and just avoid it if he feels like he should.

Plus, the better way would be making sure that he plays limited minutes, it allows the team to have him on the side and be a morale source that Messi is still there, but also limit his minutes to make sure that he doesn't get too tired because of his age.

[Blitzboy]

If Messi is called the best footballer in the world, what would be wrong? Not at all because Messi is a legend and he is undoubtedly one of the best footballers in the world. Lionel Messi has been the biggest contributor behind the 2022 World Cup win, in the 2022 World Cup tournament Messi has prioritized and trusted young players and the players have repaid that trust. Messi has not yet retired from the national team but was rumored to retire after the World Cup tournament. Age may be the reason for him to make such a decision but considering his age he is still a very good performer. It is a blessing for Lionel Messi that he has not suffered many injuries in his long career. An injury destroys a footballer's career which was not the case with Messi, that is why Messi has been able to prove his skills 100%. Lionel Messi can play for the national team for some more time and it will not be a surprise if he plays in the 2026 World Cup.

Lionel Messi is no doubt the world legends player in the football world. We cannot just compare the achievements of this player. He has won a record of seven Ballon d’Or awards, and he holds six European Golden Shoes awards. He has scored over 800+ goals. He won for this country's 2021 Copa America and 2022 FIFA World Cup. What else would you want from a player?

Will Lionel Messi play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup? This is a big question. The fans from the United States will love to see him in action on their grounds but we will wait and see. Although he has said a few times in the interviews that he may not be able to play in the upcoming World Cup.

Messi is unquestionably excellent with the ball. But, people, times are transforming! He has dedicated his entire being to the lovely game, providing us with memories we can share with our future generations. His dribbles, goals, and all-around skill were just incredible. But perhaps this also teaches us something else.

Will Messi's legs get him another World Cup? However, physical characteristics like strength and agility do matter. Messi is still a human being despite all of his achievements and accolades.

Its a good idea to consider if he should work too hard at his job and run the danger of being renowned. Are they astute enough to know when to hang up their cleats so that we can all get another glimpse of his wizardry on the field?

[Weawant]

If Messi is called the best footballer in the world, what would be wrong? Not at all because Messi is a legend and he is undoubtedly one of the best footballers in the world. Lionel Messi has been the biggest contributor behind the 2022 World Cup win, in the 2022 World Cup tournament Messi has prioritized and trusted young players and the players have repaid that trust. Messi has not yet retired from the national team but was rumored to retire after the World Cup tournament. Age may be the reason for him to make such a decision but considering his age he is still a very good performer. It is a blessing for Lionel Messi that he has not suffered many injuries in his long career. An injury destroys a footballer's career which was not the case with Messi, that is why Messi has been able to prove his skills 100%. Lionel Messi can play for the national team for some more time and it will not be a surprise if he plays in the 2026 World Cup.

Lionel Messi is no doubt the world legends player in the football world. We cannot just compare the achievements of this player. He has won a record of seven Ballon d’Or awards, and he holds six European Golden Shoes awards. He has scored over 800+ goals. He won for this country's 2021 Copa America and 2022 FIFA World Cup. What else would you want from a player?

Will Lionel Messi play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup? This is a big question. The fans from the United States will love to see him in action on their grounds but we will wait and see. Although he has said a few times in the interviews that he may not be able to play in the upcoming World Cup.

Seeing Lionel Messi play in the world cup by 2026 will be indeed interesting and worth watching as most persons would want to witness his last time in the world cup and that last time he will play for his national team as he may most likely retire from national football after this last game in the world cup, especially his American fans who would want to see him perform in the world cup on their ground.

Although he may no longer be in his prime by that time but it's still possible he play but I doubt if he will be allowed to play complete 90minites of football, maybe he will be featured in either of the halves and rested as he can not play like his very youthful day and of course his speed would have dropped drastically as well so he will play more of entertaining football.

He has not categorically stated if he is going to play in the world cup for Argentina but there are speculations they it's very possible he would so if we eventually see him play it shouldn't come as a surprise and his will be missed by all when he finally retirees from football, as he has set a historical record as a legend in football all over the world.

[Rampagoe004]

Will Lionel Messi play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup? This is a big question. The fans from the United States will love to see him in action on their grounds but we will wait and see. Although he has said a few times in the interviews that he may not be able to play in the upcoming World Cup.

Messi will probably still be selected for FIFA 2026 but may not be included in the main squad. I think Messi has a very big influence on the Argentine national team. Imagining young players playing with Messi in the national team will be a huge motivation for their mentality. So I think FIFA 2026 will probably be Messi's last World Cup participation before retirement.

[alegotardo]

Messi will probably still be selected for FIFA 2026 but may not be included in the main squad. I think Messi has a very big influence on the Argentine national team. Imagining young players playing with Messi in the national team will be a huge motivation for their mentality. So I think FIFA 2026 will probably be Messi's last World Cup participation before retirement.

If the World Cup is still a mystery, at least in the qualifiers we already know that Lionel Messi will continue to inspire Argentina to at least qualify for the world championship....
Fortunately, the muscle pain that left Messi out of five of Inter Miami's last six matches did not prevent him from being called up to defend Argentina in the next 2026 World Cup qualifying games against Paraguay and Peru. Trained Scaloni made the call-up last Thursday and included the name of his main star.
As for whether or not he will play in the next World Cup, I think it's still too early and there are several factors that could help or hinder this decision.
But I'm sure of one thing... whether as a starting player, reserve player or technical team, Lionel Messi will be present at the next World Cup.

[temple]

Will Lionel Messi play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup? This is a big question. The fans from the United States will love to see him in action on their grounds but we will wait and see. Although he has said a few times in the interviews that he may not be able to play in the upcoming World Cup.

Messi will probably still be selected for FIFA 2026 but may not be included in the main squad. I think Messi has a very big influence on the Argentine national team. Imagining young players playing with Messi in the national team will be a huge motivation for their mentality. So I think FIFA 2026 will probably be Messi's last World Cup participation before retirement.

Who knows maybe everything is possible and if we don't see Messi playing the World Cup 2026 in the USA, maybe he is the manager by then of the Argentinian national team

I really wonder already what he will be doing after his active career. I have never thought of Messi as potentially becoming a manager. I don't know why, but I also thought that Maradona wasn't really a manager, like a true educator in all things football. Most of the managers have gone through extensive education programs or have collected some experiences in some clubs, but Maradona was more like an idol being pushed into the manager position. I don't think Messi would do the same.

[noormcs5]

You are right. It is very difficult for children in Brazil to develop their talents to become professional players because Brazil is a poor country. To play ball, they often do not have adequate facilities. For this reason, they play anything that can be used to develop their talents. This challenge makes them more creative so that their skills improve rapidly. So it is not surprising that Brazil produces many of the best quality players in the world.

Maybe poverty is the reason why they are performing so good? In the favelas, children start playing football from a very young age and the conditions are very tough. A lot of them get injured. On the other hand, European kids start playing in schools and academies, where rules are strictly followed. And this is exactly the reason why footballers in Brazil are having unique skills, which are rare to find in other parts of the world. And it is not just Brazil. What I mentioned can be found in other Latin American nations such as Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador as well.

If any country is poor, it does not have proper infrastructure and the playing conditions to produce quality players. In the modern world, talent itself won't make you a bigger player unless you have a proper setup where you can practice and polish your skills. So saying that brazil has been dominating the football world for so many years only because they were poor, is not the right definition for them.

This holds true vice versa also, that is if a country is rich in resources but the player does not possess the natural talent, then it is also hard to produce quality players.

[Patrol69]

If Messi is called the best footballer in the world, what would be wrong? Not at all because Messi is a legend and he is undoubtedly one of the best footballers in the world. Lionel Messi has been the biggest contributor behind the 2022 World Cup win, in the 2022 World Cup tournament Messi has prioritized and trusted young players and the players have repaid that trust. Messi has not yet retired from the national team but was rumored to retire after the World Cup tournament. Age may be the reason for him to make such a decision but considering his age he is still a very good performer. It is a blessing for Lionel Messi that he has not suffered many injuries in his long career. An injury destroys a footballer's career which was not the case with Messi, that is why Messi has been able to prove his skills 100%. Lionel Messi can play for the national team for some more time and it will not be a surprise if he plays in the 2026 World Cup.

Lionel Messi is no doubt the world legends player in the football world. We cannot just compare the achievements of this player. He has won a record of seven Ballon d’Or awards, and he holds six European Golden Shoes awards. He has scored over 800+ goals. He won for this country's 2021 Copa America and 2022 FIFA World Cup. What else would you want from a player?

Will Lionel Messi play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup? This is a big question. The fans from the United States will love to see him in action on their grounds but we will wait and see. Although he has said a few times in the interviews that he may not be able to play in the upcoming World Cup.

Messi has achieved everything in his football career except for one World Cup which he achieved in 2022 so now he has nothing new to achieve. 2022 World Cup he successfully won 2026 World Cup is uncertain for him. He may want the last World Cup of his life not to be a failure, he may decide not to play the 2026 World Cup.
It's the end of 2023, giving Lionel Messi two more years to make a decision. Hope he takes the best decision by thinking about the fans and thinking about his highest achievement. But with the way he is still performing, I hope he will not miss the 2026 World Cup at least because of his performance. I believe that Lionel Messi will be at his best in 2026.

[Synchronice]

Will Lionel Messi play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup? This is a big question. The fans from the United States will love to see him in action on their grounds but we will wait and see. Although he has said a few times in the interviews that he may not be able to play in the upcoming World Cup.

Messi will probably still be selected for FIFA 2026 but may not be included in the main squad. I think Messi has a very big influence on the Argentine national team. Imagining young players playing with Messi in the national team will be a huge motivation for their mentality. So I think FIFA 2026 will probably be Messi's last World Cup participation before retirement.

It's really hard to say which FIFA world cup will be his last world cup because I remember in 2018 Messi said that FIFA 2018 world cup was his last chance to win but out of curiosity, he participated in FIFA 2022 and he won it. He even said again that FIFA 2022 was his last chance but after the win, he even plans to participate in FIFA 2026.
Probably, he is not in phenomenal shape right now because age leaves its mark on the body but Messi's dribbling skills are constantly developing, every year he dribbles better and shows magic tricks, he still hasn't shown his limits. Such a phenomenal player. To be honest, I will not even be surprised if he plays in FIFA 2030. Simply there is no reason for him to retire, he will be way better player at the age of 43 than many other 20 years old players.

[nullama]

~snip~
It's really hard to say which FIFA world cup will be his last world cup because I remember in 2018 Messi said that FIFA 2018 world cup was his last chance to win but out of curiosity, he participated in FIFA 2022 and he won it. He even said again that FIFA 2022 was his last chance but after the win, he even plans to participate in FIFA 2026.
Probably, he is not in phenomenal shape right now because age leaves its mark on the body but Messi's dribbling skills are constantly developing, every year he dribbles better and shows magic tricks, he still hasn't shown his limits. Such a phenomenal player. To be honest, I will not even be surprised if he plays in FIFA 2030. Simply there is no reason for him to retire, he will be way better player at the age of 43 than many other 20 years old players.

To me it would seem a bit silly for Messi to play in the next world cup, he has the chance to retire after he won the world cup, and now he can play a bit more to make some extra cash, plus then he will be able to continue making money by doing ads and things like that.

Playing the next world cup would not bring anything else to him, even if he wins it

[Rikafip]

To me it would seem a bit silly for Messi to play in the next world cup, he has the chance to retire after he won the world cup

Since he is already playing in qualification matches, it is safe to assume that he plans to play in WC as well.

Playing the next world cup would not bring anything else to him, even if he wins it

Lol you serious, it woulnd't bring him anything to win world cup again and make Argentina the first country to defend world title since Brazil did it in 1958? I am not saying that he will do it or that he even has good chance of doing it, but its ridicolous to say that winning another world title woulnd't bring anything to him.

[Strongkored]

To me it would seem a bit silly for Messi to play in the next world cup, he has the chance to retire after he won the world cup, and now he can play a bit more to make some extra cash, plus then he will be able to continue making money by doing ads and things like that.

Playing the next world cup would not bring anything else to him, even if he wins it

It's quite strange in my opinion if someone says that if he can win the world cup again it won't bring anything for him, because of course it will give something extraordinary for his career, because winning one world cup trophy versus two world cup trophies is a very different thing in terms of anything including financial and records that will probably last a long time before another player can match or even break them.
However, whether Lionel Messi plays or not is a mystery and if Lionel Scaloni still calls him, it means he still has strong value for the Argentine squad in the future and of course with careful consideration considering that Argentina is a country that has quite good player resources.

[shogun47]

To me it would seem a bit silly for Messi to play in the next world cup, he has the chance to retire after he won the world cup, and now he can play a bit more to make some extra cash, plus then he will be able to continue making money by doing ads and things like that.

Playing the next world cup would not bring anything else to him, even if he wins it

It's quite strange in my opinion if someone says that if he can win the world cup again it won't bring anything for him, because of course it will give something extraordinary for his career, because winning one world cup trophy versus two world cup trophies is a very different thing in terms of anything including financial and records that will probably last a long time before another player can match or even break them.
However, whether Lionel Messi plays or not is a mystery and if Lionel Scaloni still calls him, it means he still has strong value for the Argentine squad in the future and of course with careful consideration considering that Argentina is a country that has quite good player resources.

I agree with you and it would be like Federer in tennis to say he stops playing tennis once he won all the Grand Slam tournaments one time. Won Wimbledon? Quit career! That is nonsense and in my opinion a player of any sport should listen to their bodies and if they are still healthy and they get positive feedback from the managers and the fans and they feel they can contribute to the success of the team, what is the reason that they should stop playing what people love them for? Really this is a stupid argument to make.

The real problem is that some players can't accept that their peak is long over and that they are mostly injured and when they are healthy they also play bad. That's when they missed the train to stop as a professional. But apart from that why should a player stop if he feels great?

[Leviathan.007]

~snip~
It's really hard to say which FIFA world cup will be his last world cup because I remember in 2018 Messi said that FIFA 2018 world cup was his last chance to win but out of curiosity, he participated in FIFA 2022 and he won it. He even said again that FIFA 2022 was his last chance but after the win, he even plans to participate in FIFA 2026.
Probably, he is not in phenomenal shape right now because age leaves its mark on the body but Messi's dribbling skills are constantly developing, every year he dribbles better and shows magic tricks, he still hasn't shown his limits. Such a phenomenal player. To be honest, I will not even be surprised if he plays in FIFA 2030. Simply there is no reason for him to retire, he will be way better player at the age of 43 than many other 20 years old players.

To me it would seem a bit silly for Messi to play in the next world cup, he has the chance to retire after he won the world cup, and now he can play a bit more to make some extra cash, plus then he will be able to continue making money by doing ads and things like that.

Playing the next world cup would not bring anything else to him, even if he wins it

I don't know how even can you even say this. winning the World Cup is an honor for any palyer who wins this title in their team because other famous players like Cristiano Ronaldo had perfect performances in their national teams but could never win this title. But even If Messi plays in the next World Cup, I don't think if he can win this tournament again with Argentina because of his age and the lower performance he is going to have.

[Docnaster]

~snip~
It's really hard to say which FIFA world cup will be his last world cup because I remember in 2018 Messi said that FIFA 2018 world cup was his last chance to win but out of curiosity, he participated in FIFA 2022 and he won it. He even said again that FIFA 2022 was his last chance but after the win, he even plans to participate in FIFA 2026.
Probably, he is not in phenomenal shape right now because age leaves its mark on the body but Messi's dribbling skills are constantly developing, every year he dribbles better and shows magic tricks, he still hasn't shown his limits. Such a phenomenal player. To be honest, I will not even be surprised if he plays in FIFA 2030. Simply there is no reason for him to retire, he will be way better player at the age of 43 than many other 20 years old players.

To me it would seem a bit silly for Messi to play in the next world cup, he has the chance to retire after he won the world cup, and now he can play a bit more to make some extra cash, plus then he will be able to continue making money by doing ads and things like that.

Playing the next world cup would not bring anything else to him, even if he wins it

I don't know how even can you even say this. winning the World Cup is an honor for any palyer who wins this title in their team because other famous players like Cristiano Ronaldo had perfect performances in their national teams but could never win this title. But even If Messi plays in the next World Cup, I don't think if he can win this tournament again with Argentina because of his age and the lower performance he is going to have.

As far as football is concerned, winning the FIFA World Cup is the best thing that can happen to a footballer and that's why Lionel Messi is today regarded as the best footballer ever in the history of football. Before he won the world cup, he was still behind the likes of Pele and Diego Armando Maradona despite winning the Balon D'or for record 7 times. Messi is currently 36 years of age which means he would be 39 in 2026 and that's why I think there's every possiblity of him participating in the FIFA World Cup once again before he retires from football.

[Jody.Drummer]

Will Lionel Messi play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup? This is a big question. The fans from the United States will love to see him in action on their grounds but we will wait and see. Although he has said a few times in the interviews that he may not be able to play in the upcoming World Cup.

Messi will probably still be selected for FIFA 2026 but may not be included in the main squad. I think Messi has a very big influence on the Argentine national team. Imagining young players playing with Messi in the national team will be a huge motivation for their mentality. So I think FIFA 2026 will probably be Messi's last World Cup participation before retirement.

Talking about this, I remembered the previous year before the Qatar World Cup. Yes many of us speculated that the possibility of the Qatar World Cup would be the last World Cup for Messi and not just Messi but other players as well, like Ronaldo for example. But now we are starting to speculate about the possibility of Messi plying in the World Cup or not. Yes it is interesting considering his age, but indeed his influence on his country is huge. Even though he is only in the lineup and not the main player, he can give his experience to other players and also provide motivation. I also haven't heard any rumors of him retiring anytime soon.

[romero121]

Will Lionel Messi play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup? This is a big question. The fans from the United States will love to see him in action on their grounds but we will wait and see. Although he has said a few times in the interviews that he may not be able to play in the upcoming World Cup.

Messi will probably still be selected for FIFA 2026 but may not be included in the main squad. I think Messi has a very big influence on the Argentine national team. Imagining young players playing with Messi in the national team will be a huge motivation for their mentality. So I think FIFA 2026 will probably be Messi's last World Cup participation before retirement.

Talking about this, I remembered the previous year before the Qatar World Cup. Yes many of us speculated that the possibility of the Qatar World Cup would be the last World Cup for Messi and not just Messi but other players as well, like Ronaldo for example. But now we are starting to speculate about the possibility of Messi plying in the World Cup or not. Yes it is interesting considering his age, but indeed his influence on his country is huge. Even though he is only in the lineup and not the main player, he can give his experience to other players and also provide motivation. I also haven't heard any rumors of him retiring anytime soon.

These days sportsman are trying to keep themselves away from speculation. Now things were highly transparent between the authorities and the common people through technology. Injuries were the major reason, upon which players take break from the teams. With Messi such situation hadn't arised. Most of the time he used to keep his body good. According to me, if he goes on a long break before World Cup there is chances of going out of form. Only in such situation the selection committee will think of whether to have Messi into the team or provide opportunity for the young players of the nation.

[Sithara007]

Talking about this, I remembered the previous year before the Qatar World Cup. Yes many of us speculated that the possibility of the Qatar World Cup would be the last World Cup for Messi and not just Messi but other players as well, like Ronaldo for example. But now we are starting to speculate about the possibility of Messi plying in the World Cup or not. Yes it is interesting considering his age, but indeed his influence on his country is huge. Even though he is only in the lineup and not the main player, he can give his experience to other players and also provide motivation. I also haven't heard any rumors of him retiring anytime soon.

He has seen what happened to Ronaldo during Qatar 2022. It doesn't matter whether you are a legend. When you get old, then you are out of favor with the coach. Messi will be 39 years old by the time of North America 2026 and there is a good chance that he will retire from active football before that. He has achieved whatever he wanted to achieve in international and club football. So rather than risking his reputation by playing in 2026, he may just stay out of that tournament. At the most, he may enroll for some sort of coaching responsibility for the national team.