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

[Leviathan.007]

It seems we no longer need to speculate about Messi for the World Cup 2026. Because Messi already said that he would retire to play in the World Cup, i think his statement made 2023. If he doesn't change his decision, then we won't be able to watch Messi play in the next World Cup. Maybe this decision was to end his career as a footballer who competed in the world cup as champion. If he returns to play in the World Cup, then he might not be very happy, if he fails to bring Argentina to the same performance as the previous World Cup. So, retired from playing for the World Cup after winning, will maintain a good history and memories in his career.

IMO, it will be wise for Messi to not to participate in the FIFA World Cup of 2026. He will be forever known as the player who captained Argentina to the trophy in 2022. A poor performance in 2026 can ruin that reputation. Let the younger players such as Alexis Mac Allister, Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández and Nicolás González take over the responsibility. Messi will be 39 years at the time of 2026 World Cup, and I seriously doubt whether he will be in prime form. What about coaching the Argentina national football team in 2026? 

Playing in the 2026 World Cup won't give anything extra to Messi and he will be a player who is old and from his good days also we can't expect him to have good performance anymore. Instead of Messi, they can think about using younger players with younger ages and build the team for the next years of Argentina.

[Rampagoe004]

Yeah, it would have been a great time to retire really, being the champion and winning everything.

But I guess if you have been playing all your life, you just want to continue.

I do think it would be fair to give other players the chance to play and he can move on.

He will still make millions with ads.

I think Messi will also give other players the opportunity to progress. Having Messi with the Argentinian national team at the upcoming 2026 World Cup will certainly increase the morale of other young players. Messi is old and he knows he won't be able to play like he used to. This means that Messi is likely to be played in important matches and be a substitute at crucial times. Messi can increase the morale and self-confidence of young Argentine players and I think Messi will still have an important role for the Argentine national team in the World Cup.

[Hirose UK]

~snip~

Do you doubt Lionel Messi's current quality? there are not significant level performance for Lionel Messi after leaving Barcelona and joining with PSG success bring Argentina become the winner in FFIA World Cup 2022 Qatar. Lionel Messi still in the top level performance whenever he plays right now he can keep his physical on the top level. But in FIFA World Cup 2026 he will be 38 years old and get little increasing down performance but its not impact with club he plays right now as Inter Miami.

I think has potential with Lionel Messi keep give the positive side for Argentina on next world cup edition if not get injury, Lionel Scaloni as Argentina manager still need him and Lionel Messi plays well for Argentina in World Cup qualifier CONMEBOL zone. Seems not difficult for Lionel Messi become main player for Argentina because not only show his best quality but also he can manage well motivate his team and FIFA World Cup 2026 seems the latest his appearance for national team.

Yes, I quite doubtful about Messi playing quality at the moment, especially for the upcoming 2026 World Cup so it can be confirmed that he is not really great player.
It is true that Messi and Argentina have succeeded in winning the 2022 World Cup, but that is not entirely thanks to Messi, but because all the Argentine players really deserve to win the title and they are all great players.
Moreover, Messi did not play full game in the 2022 World Cup competition and he is also striker who has completely lost his ability to play more agilely like before.
Messi has been seen experiencing decrease in energy and becomes more easily tired, he also doesn't play much in stable way because he only relies on his teammates to provide passes to be converted into goals.
I don't think he will be able to play well if he takes part in the 2026 World Cup competition.

I don't know what it will be like, I don't really follow Messi progress with Argentina because this player has lost all his playing qualities.
Messi can rely on to qualify for the World Cup, but when he actually qualifies, it is not certain that Messi will be able to play well, there are still more than 2 years left until the 2026 World Cup.

[Leviathan.007]

Yeah, it would have been a great time to retire really, being the champion and winning everything.

But I guess if you have been playing all your life, you just want to continue.

I do think it would be fair to give other players the chance to play and he can move on.

He will still make millions with ads.

I think Messi will also give other players the opportunity to progress. Having Messi with the Argentinian national team at the upcoming 2026 World Cup will certainly increase the morale of other young players. Messi is old and he knows he won't be able to play like he used to. This means that Messi is likely to be played in important matches and be a substitute at crucial times. Messi can increase the morale and self-confidence of young Argentine players and I think Messi will still have an important role for the Argentine national team in the World Cup.

I don't think if you are right now Messi. Messi can the opportunity to other players if he leaves the slot for other players to play in the team instead of himself but he won't do that. Also, Messi is losing his good performance and he is not as good anymore as he was in the past. I think the best he could do was not give up and get retire and stay in the team as a coach to help other younger players of Argentina.

[nullama]

~snip~
I think Messi will also give other players the opportunity to progress. Having Messi with the Argentinian national team at the upcoming 2026 World Cup will certainly increase the morale of other young players. Messi is old and he knows he won't be able to play like he used to. This means that Messi is likely to be played in important matches and be a substitute at crucial times. Messi can increase the morale and self-confidence of young Argentine players and I think Messi will still have an important role for the Argentine national team in the World Cup.

It's always a bit challenging to be in the team with a superstar, because the coach will usually get pressured to put him in instead of trying the new players.

It also won't make any sense to have Messi at the bench the whole time, so I guess it would really be the most sensible thing to do to simply give them the opportunity to play by retiring while he is at the top.

I mean, what if he plays the next world cup and doesn't win it?, he will definitely retire after that one, and it would be a bit more disappointing than retiring as a champion.

[Rampagoe004]

I mean, what if he plays the next world cup and doesn't win it?, he will definitely retire after that one, and it would be a bit more disappointing than retiring as a champion.

You are right. I think so too. Although I see Messi will still be called up to the Argentina national team if he doesn't retire. But what if Argentina loses? And what's even worse, what if Argentina experiences a world cup curse where the team that won the previous world cup will have difficulty qualifying from the group stages in the next world cup? That would be the worst moment for Messi because of course some people would blaspheme him. If Messi doesn't retire I'm sure he will still be called up. The decision is in his hands to choose to answer the call or not.

[Leviathan.007]

~snip~
I think Messi will also give other players the opportunity to progress. Having Messi with the Argentinian national team at the upcoming 2026 World Cup will certainly increase the morale of other young players. Messi is old and he knows he won't be able to play like he used to. This means that Messi is likely to be played in important matches and be a substitute at crucial times. Messi can increase the morale and self-confidence of young Argentine players and I think Messi will still have an important role for the Argentine national team in the World Cup.

It's always a bit challenging to be in the team with a superstar, because the coach will usually get pressured to put him in instead of trying the new players.

It also won't make any sense to have Messi at the bench the whole time, so I guess it would really be the most sensible thing to do to simply give them the opportunity to play by retiring while he is at the top.

I mean, what if he plays the next world cup and doesn't win it?, he will definitely retire after that one, and it would be a bit more disappointing than retiring as a champion.

Having a player like Messi can definitely put Argentina and their coach under more pressure and that's clear for me. Even a few days ago when they had a problem between Messi and Scaloni, I saw some news about Scaloni leaving the team and while he was leaving none was supporting this coach while he was the coach of the team and but people were usually supporting Messi and they even wanted their coach to leave because of one player, however, that one player is even getting old and he is far from his good form.

[Ayers]

~snip~
I think Messi will also give other players the opportunity to progress. Having Messi with the Argentinian national team at the upcoming 2026 World Cup will certainly increase the morale of other young players. Messi is old and he knows he won't be able to play like he used to. This means that Messi is likely to be played in important matches and be a substitute at crucial times. Messi can increase the morale and self-confidence of young Argentine players and I think Messi will still have an important role for the Argentine national team in the World Cup.

It's always a bit challenging to be in the team with a superstar, because the coach will usually get pressured to put him in instead of trying the new players.

It also won't make any sense to have Messi at the bench the whole time, so I guess it would really be the most sensible thing to do to simply give them the opportunity to play by retiring while he is at the top.

I mean, what if he plays the next world cup and doesn't win it?, he will definitely retire after that one, and it would be a bit more disappointing than retiring as a champion.

Having a player like Messi can definitely put Argentina and their coach under more pressure and that's clear for me. Even a few days ago when they had a problem between Messi and Scaloni, I saw some news about Scaloni leaving the team and while he was leaving none was supporting this coach while he was the coach of the team and but people were usually supporting Messi and they even wanted their coach to leave because of one player, however, that one player is even getting old and he is far from his good form.

I actually don't think he is going to play in the next World Cup because the next World Cup is a long time away. Actually, I do not see him performing well and being ready for that World Cup that he was for the last one. I am pretty sure that there will be younger players who will show those performances for Argentina by the time.

Yes, I also agree that it will be better for him to retire as the champion instead of someone who was unable to win the last World Cup that he played. You know, I was kind of hoping for watching a Portugal versus Argentina or Ronaldo versus Messi match up in the next World Cup. But it does not matter how big of a fan I am of them, I have to accept the fact that it is over.

[Leviathan.007]

Yeah, it would have been a great time to retire really, being the champion and winning everything.

But I guess if you have been playing all your life, you just want to continue.

I do think it would be fair to give other players the chance to play and he can move on.

He will still make millions with ads.

I think Messi will also give other players the opportunity to progress. Having Messi with the Argentinian national team at the upcoming 2026 World Cup will certainly increase the morale of other young players. Messi is old and he knows he won't be able to play like he used to. This means that Messi is likely to be played in important matches and be a substitute at crucial times. Messi can increase the morale and self-confidence of young Argentine players and I think Messi will still have an important role for the Argentine national team in the World Cup.

But I don't think so, I think having a player like Messi can make some other younger players be out of the team because of the slot he takes in this team and this can maybe make Messi to stop younger players getting progress which is not good for them. Argentinian national team needs to use younger players and stop just paying attention to their palyer, Messi. The 2026 world cup is the good opportunity for some players to be in the team and Messi can just guide them as an older player.

[nullama]

~snip~
But I don't think so, I think having a player like Messi can make some other younger players be out of the team because of the slot he takes in this team and this can maybe make Messi to stop younger players getting progress which is not good for them. Argentinian national team needs to use younger players and stop just paying attention to their palyer, Messi. The 2026 world cup is the good opportunity for some players to be in the team and Messi can just guide them as an older player.

Yeah, I think you are spot on.

For all the new Argentinean players, I think they are all wishing they have that one extra slot to prove their country that they are great.

Imagine if Messi was starting to play while Maradona was still playing, what a waste that would have been.

[temple]

~snip~
But I don't think so, I think having a player like Messi can make some other younger players be out of the team because of the slot he takes in this team and this can maybe make Messi to stop younger players getting progress which is not good for them. Argentinian national team needs to use younger players and stop just paying attention to their palyer, Messi. The 2026 world cup is the good opportunity for some players to be in the team and Messi can just guide them as an older player.

Yeah, I think you are spot on.

For all the new Argentinean players, I think they are all wishing they have that one extra slot to prove their country that they are great.

Imagine if Messi was starting to play while Maradona was still playing, what a waste that would have been.

I am trying to follow your logic here, but what exactly would have been a waste if hypothetically Maradona and Messi would have been closer to each other in terms of age and therefore played together? Both players are highly versatile and can play midfield and any attacking position. I doubt that a coach would have complained if he had two players of that level available.

But if we assume that Messi plays and he scores goals or gives assists even if he only plays part-time as he is also sitting on the bench, what would the waste be and why would anyone else complain? It doesn't make sense to generalize that Messi steals a spot from someone else. In the end what counts are goals, assists and other contributions. If he can still do that, what is the point in leaving someone at home because of his age?

It's still 2.5 years to go and nobody knows if Messi actually wants to play another World Cup. By now I think that he himself doesn't know whether he wants to go for it or not.

[Docnaster]

~snip~
But I don't think so, I think having a player like Messi can make some other younger players be out of the team because of the slot he takes in this team and this can maybe make Messi to stop younger players getting progress which is not good for them. Argentinian national team needs to use younger players and stop just paying attention to their palyer, Messi. The 2026 world cup is the good opportunity for some players to be in the team and Messi can just guide them as an older player.

Yeah, I think you are spot on.

For all the new Argentinean players, I think they are all wishing they have that one extra slot to prove their country that they are great.

Imagine if Messi was starting to play while Maradona was still playing, what a waste that would have been.

The special treatment and attention Lionel Messi enjoys in the Argentina national team was earned with several years of hard work and dedication to the teams success and that's why I don't expect the national team coach to automatically drop him from the squad just because they want to give the young players in the squad a chance to prove themselves.
Lionel Messi is currently 36 years of age which means that he'll be 38 when the next edition of the FIFA World Cup would be played again and if he'll be fully fit to participate in that world cup tournament, be rest assured that he'll be picked to play ajd there's nothing anyone can do about it

[Zigabel]

Playing in the 2026 World Cup won't give anything extra to Messi and he will be a player who is old and from his good days also we can't expect him to have good performance anymore. Instead of Messi, they can think about using younger players with younger ages and build the team for the next years of Argentina.

Literally Messi has got nothing, I mean absolutely nothing to loose if he participate in the 2026 world cup or not because if wouldn't be the first and it's not like he's eager to win a world cup as he's already got one to his name so far, he will only be an advantage to the Argentine squad probably via his contribution on their tactics or he act of play on the pitch. Argentina should be aware thst they still have  about two years to the world cup which I think is fair enough time to develop new talents who can help the team get rid perform well in ths world cup as they are the defending champions and no less performance is expected of them dependency on Messi may be a dead end for them because by then Messi might just bee too old for the kind of performance that will be expected of him because he is definitely going to be way older than he is now.

Argentina has been know to be a county that have got this football DNA and if they start working on young talents now, by they time its 2026 they would have a team thst will be able to represent them at the world cup, by then Messi could come in as some one who would help them with some good advice thst will help the teams performance.

[FanEagle]

I mean, what if he plays the next world cup and doesn't win it?, he will definitely retire after that one, and it would be a bit more disappointing than retiring as a champion.

You are right. I think so too. Although I see Messi will still be called up to the Argentina national team if he doesn't retire. But what if Argentina loses? And what's even worse, what if Argentina experiences a world cup curse where the team that won the previous world cup will have difficulty qualifying from the group stages in the next world cup? That would be the worst moment for Messi because of course some people would blaspheme him. If Messi doesn't retire I'm sure he will still be called up. The decision is in his hands to choose to answer the call or not.

Honestly, with him getting them the title last time around, I really do not think that it would eb all that shocking, it has to be something that will not be all that confusing. All fans will make sure that they are in love with him and not say a single bad word to him as well. I know this because he won them a cup, and they love him for it, he won everything that could be won with the national team, they can't expect much else from him.

This is of course true in this case, but also it means that we are talking about a team that will most probably qualify without a trouble, they are good enough for that. There are enough positions in Latin America that they are doing fine with whatever they are given, and qualify almost each time.

[marcous]

I mean, what if he plays the next world cup and doesn't win it?, he will definitely retire after that one, and it would be a bit more disappointing than retiring as a champion.

You are right. I think so too. Although I see Messi will still be called up to the Argentina national team if he doesn't retire. But what if Argentina loses? And what's even worse, what if Argentina experiences a world cup curse where the team that won the previous world cup will have difficulty qualifying from the group stages in the next world cup? That would be the worst moment for Messi because of course some people would blaspheme him. If Messi doesn't retire I'm sure he will still be called up. The decision is in his hands to choose to answer the call or not.

Honestly, with him getting them the title last time around, I really do not think that it would eb all that shocking, it has to be something that will not be all that confusing. All fans will make sure that they are in love with him and not say a single bad word to him as well. I know this because he won them a cup, and they love him for it, he won everything that could be won with the national team, they can't expect much else from him.

This is of course true in this case, but also it means that we are talking about a team that will most probably qualify without a trouble, they are good enough for that. There are enough positions in Latin America that they are doing fine with whatever they are given, and qualify almost each time.

For Argentina fans, winning the next World Cup with Messi in the lineup is certainly an honor. However, we have to look at it realistically, that Messi age is no longer young, and he will certainly provide opportunities for younger players to continue their struggle. It does sound very bland, when a mega star is no longer on the field at an event as big as the World Cup, but then again everyone has their time and every time there is their person.

It is true that all decisions are in Messi hands, and of course the Argentine national team management will certainly call him back to develop younger players. However, that is still a very long time away, and I think Argentina will appear in the 2026 World Cup, they will definitely be able to get through the qualifying rounds smoothly. The World Cup quota has been increased, and the opportunity to get there is quite big.

On the other hand, the Copa America is the closest competition that Messi will probably take part in, if there are no changes to the schedule it will be held next June. I think it's a good opportunity for Argentina to marry the World Cup trophy with the Copa America trophy, for now Argentina is the defending champion.

[Leviathan.007]

I mean, what if he plays the next world cup and doesn't win it?, he will definitely retire after that one, and it would be a bit more disappointing than retiring as a champion.

You are right. I think so too. Although I see Messi will still be called up to the Argentina national team if he doesn't retire. But what if Argentina loses? And what's even worse, what if Argentina experiences a world cup curse where the team that won the previous world cup will have difficulty qualifying from the group stages in the next world cup? That would be the worst moment for Messi because of course some people would blaspheme him. If Messi doesn't retire I'm sure he will still be called up. The decision is in his hands to choose to answer the call or not.

Honestly, with him getting them the title last time around, I really do not think that it would eb all that shocking, it has to be something that will not be all that confusing. All fans will make sure that they are in love with him and not say a single bad word to him as well. I know this because he won them a cup, and they love him for it, he won everything that could be won with the national team, they can't expect much else from him.

This is of course true in this case, but also it means that we are talking about a team that will most probably qualify without a trouble, they are good enough for that. There are enough positions in Latin America that they are doing fine with whatever they are given, and qualify almost each time.

Messi is a player in Argentina many people like to see him play for the team and Messi should perform like the younger ages because the fans are expecting to see a good performance from him. I think Messi can never do the same good performance anymore and that's why maybe he should stop playing the national games for Argentina and Messi can get credited as a legend.

[swogerino]

I mean, what if he plays the next world cup and doesn't win it?, he will definitely retire after that one, and it would be a bit more disappointing than retiring as a champion.

You are right. I think so too. Although I see Messi will still be called up to the Argentina national team if he doesn't retire. But what if Argentina loses? And what's even worse, what if Argentina experiences a world cup curse where the team that won the previous world cup will have difficulty qualifying from the group stages in the next world cup? That would be the worst moment for Messi because of course some people would blaspheme him. If Messi doesn't retire I'm sure he will still be called up. The decision is in his hands to choose to answer the call or not.

Honestly, with him getting them the title last time around, I really do not think that it would eb all that shocking, it has to be something that will not be all that confusing. All fans will make sure that they are in love with him and not say a single bad word to him as well. I know this because he won them a cup, and they love him for it, he won everything that could be won with the national team, they can't expect much else from him.

This is of course true in this case, but also it means that we are talking about a team that will most probably qualify without a trouble, they are good enough for that. There are enough positions in Latin America that they are doing fine with whatever they are given, and qualify almost each time.

Messi is a player in Argentina many people like to see him play for the team and Messi should perform like the younger ages because the fans are expecting to see a good performance from him. I think Messi can never do the same good performance anymore and that's why maybe he should stop playing the national games for Argentina and Messi can get credited as a legend.

He is still at age to bring up a really good performance in what could be most likely his last World Cup with the national Argentina team.He won the last one so he gave to Argentina a World Cup title since the distant times of Maradona in 1986 and that means he has fulfilled his mission.

Most people don't believe that he can be up to the task to bring up another World Cup yet I believe if the other players are of a great quality and show the same passion as the team who won the World Cup of 2022 can achieve the same result in this upcoming World Cup of 2026.

[nullama]

~snip~
He is still at age to bring up a really good performance in what could be most likely his last World Cup with the national Argentina team.He won the last one so he gave to Argentina a World Cup title since the distant times of Maradona in 1986 and that means he has fulfilled his mission.

Most people don't believe that he can be up to the task to bring up another World Cup yet I believe if the other players are of a great quality and show the same passion as the team who won the World Cup of 2022 can achieve the same result in this upcoming World Cup of 2026.

The thing is that I'm sure Messi can still play a decent World Cup.

But he has already won everything. So, what's the point?

Much better in my mind is to leave the space for other talents to develop and he can enjoy his retirement in peace making millions in ads.

There are basically 2 outcomes if he plays the world cup, either he wins it or not. In both cases it's not really that great of an outcome.

[FanEagle]

I honestly do not think that it would be wise to get rid of Messi if he wants to play just because you want to make some other young player join. Young player could join later on when Messi retires, but this guy is idol for a whole nation, forget that he is idol for many football fans, many kids all around the world loves him. So him playing is not just about winning, it's cheering with him when he wins and crying with him when he loses.

It is about making a statement with him. They will play him as long as he plays and there won't be anything further than that. I think it would make sense to just keep it going, there is really nothing that would be all that simple, it shouldn't be really possible for anyone else to wonder.

[Xxmodded]

~snip~
He is still at age to bring up a really good performance in what could be most likely his last World Cup with the national Argentina team.He won the last one so he gave to Argentina a World Cup title since the distant times of Maradona in 1986 and that means he has fulfilled his mission.

Most people don't believe that he can be up to the task to bring up another World Cup yet I believe if the other players are of a great quality and show the same passion as the team who won the World Cup of 2022 can achieve the same result in this upcoming World Cup of 2026.

The thing is that I'm sure Messi can still play a decent World Cup.

But he has already won everything. So, what's the point?

Much better in my mind is to leave the space for other talents to develop and he can enjoy his retirement in peace making millions in ads.

There are basically 2 outcomes if he plays the world cup, either he wins it or not. In both cases it's not really that great of an outcome.

Lionel Messi will be 38 years old when FIFA World Cup 2026, actually depend with Argentina manager will call him or not regarding his level performance with his club Inter Miami. During CONMEBOL zone qualifier, Lionel Messi always plays for all matches and seems he still needs in Argentina squad for FIFA World Cup 2026.
Its not about how much can earn by Lionel Messi with his retirement, but he want to make history back to back bring Argentina will be the winner in World Cup, for making million dollar is easy for him become advertising.