Will Neymar, Messi, and Ronaldo play in the 2026 World Cup?

[Sithara007]

I am not sure what Messi will gain from playing in this tournament. On the other hand, if his performance dips, then it is a massive risk for him. Messi lifted the world cup as the captain of Argentine team during the 2022 edition. He will not gain anything by playing in the 2026 edition. Some critics claim that he wants to defend the trophy, but doing that can be extremely difficult this time. The European teams are in good shape and there is no guarantee that Argentina can even get to the semi-final stage. Ideally he should have retired from national duty after 2022.

If I was Messi, I will just rest because he will have no points to prove at this moment. He is only going to fall his hand and demolish the reputation that he built earlier in the last world cup. If there is anyone that will be hunting for coming back and making history now, it should be Ronaldo. All the clubs he went to, he made sure he made his marks there and the only team he's having challenges with delivering which doubles as the team he should be passionate about is his national team, Portugal. So, I will be seeing Messi's effort in futility because I don't even believe he can win this time around the way he won in 2022.

That is the most sensible thing to do. Messi risks ruining his reputation, in case something goes wrong during the FIFA World Cup of 2026. And Argentina is a well balanced team, and in the past they have proved that they can win matches even without Messi. But that is not the case with Portugal. They don't have the player depth and are entirely dependent on Ronaldo. Brazil will come somewhere in between these two extremes. They can manage to some extent without Neymar. But the squad will be obviously strengthened in case Neymar is included.

[Slow death]

If I was Messi, I will just rest because he will have no points to prove at this moment. He is only going to fall his hand and demolish the reputation that he built earlier in the last world cup. If there is anyone that will be hunting for coming back and making history now, it should be Ronaldo. All the clubs he went to, he made sure he made his marks there and the only team he's having challenges with delivering which doubles as the team he should be passionate about is his national team, Portugal. So, I will be seeing Messi's effort in futility because I don't even believe he can win this time around the way he won in 2022.

Messi is a player with extraordinary skills; he's not the type of player a coach would dismiss. On the contrary, coaches would even beg him to keep playing because those skills of his are still unmatched by other players. On the field, he can coordinate all the players on his team and single-handedly decide the outcome of a game. Messi is good at set pieces, he has speed and can dribble at high speed, and he's not easily brought down.

Messi scores goals, and he's a specialist in providing good assists. Obviously, Messi is the star every coach wants on the field at the World Cup. It's not about whether Argentina will win the World Cup or not, but rather that Messi can greatly help Argentina. Cristiano Ronaldo is a good player and very popular; he surpasses Messi in terms of popularity. But he doesn't surpass Messi in terms of skill.

Some people who are fans of Ronaldo prefer to close their eyes when it comes to comparing Ronaldo with Messi, but the reality is very obvious: Ronaldo has more popularity and Messi has more skill. There are still no players who do everything that Messi does.

[Wakate]

That is the most sensible thing to do. Messi risks ruining his reputation, in case something goes wrong during the FIFA World Cup of 2026. And Argentina is a well balanced team, and in the past they have proved that they can win matches even without Messi. But that is not the case with Portugal. They don't have the player depth and are entirely dependent on Ronaldo. Brazil will come somewhere in between these two extremes. They can manage to some extent without Neymar. But the squad will be obviously strengthened in case Neymar is included.

Messi is going to participate in the world cup tournament like Ronaldo and even if Argentina has a good skilled squad to deliver for the world cup it doesn't mean that Argentina has a high probability of winning this year competition.
I am very certain that Ronaldo is not going to miss a chance to play to his fully to win the world cup competition this time.

[savetheFORUM]

Glad that I voted for the same as most other people were thinking. Messi is not even a question, he would have to be injured and miss out for him to not play, he is going to play if he is healthy and there is no doubt about that at all.

Ronaldo will also play, maybe he won't start every single game, but from the bench or not, he is going to be there and getting minutes, there is absolutely no doubt about that, and he is ready for it too. Neymar is the only questionable one, so I said only Messi and Ronaldo will play too, Neymar is looking not in form and not healthy and not fit enough.

[Sithara007]

Glad that I voted for the same as most other people were thinking. Messi is not even a question, he would have to be injured and miss out for him to not play, he is going to play if he is healthy and there is no doubt about that at all.

Ronaldo will also play, maybe he won't start every single game, but from the bench or not, he is going to be there and getting minutes, there is absolutely no doubt about that, and he is ready for it too. Neymar is the only questionable one, so I said only Messi and Ronaldo will play too, Neymar is looking not in form and not healthy and not fit enough.

What you have posted maybe true. But at the moment, only Ronaldo is playing high quality football at the top-most level. The competition in Saudi Professional League is fierce, and his presence is crucial for his club (Al Nassr) to win the trophy this time. Lionel Messi on the other hand is playing for Inter Miami in a relatively weaker league (Major League Soccer). He may struggle to get adjusted to playing against stronger teams in the world cup. And among the three, Neymar is in the worst position. Not only he is playing in a weak league, he has also missed a lot of matches recently due to injury.

[Bobrox]

What you have posted maybe true. But at the moment, only Ronaldo is playing high quality football at the top-most level. The competition in Saudi Professional League is fierce, and his presence is crucial for his club (Al Nassr) to win the trophy this time. Lionel Messi on the other hand is playing for Inter Miami in a relatively weaker league (Major League Soccer). He may struggle to get adjusted to playing against stronger teams in the world cup. And among the three, Neymar is in the worst position. Not only he is playing in a weak league, he has also missed a lot of matches recently due to injury.

Talking about high quality football domestic league I think Neymar still playing with the highest level club but has inconsistent performance most spending with injury, difference with Cristiano Ronaldo still on the highest physical level and can play well for Al Nassr in this season and still become the captain team for Portugal. Lionel Messi indeed playing with relatively weaker team at Major League Soccer (MLS) his position keep guarantee at Argentina national team for playing at World Cup 2026.

The head coach of national team calling players based on their games statistic, performance until how ready the player physical their self if lower physical and most often injury I think not has chance for playing at World Cup exactly for Neymar.

[Sithara007]

Talking about high quality football domestic league I think Neymar still playing with the highest level club but has inconsistent performance most spending with injury, difference with Cristiano Ronaldo still on the highest physical level and can play well for Al Nassr in this season and still become the captain team for Portugal. Lionel Messi indeed playing with relatively weaker team at Major League Soccer (MLS) his position keep guarantee at Argentina national team for playing at World Cup 2026.

The head coach of national team calling players based on their games statistic, performance until how ready the player physical their self if lower physical and most often injury I think not has chance for playing at World Cup exactly for Neymar.

Neymar playing at highest level? Dude he is playing for his childhood club (Santos FC) in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Hardly anyone outside Brazil has heard about the club, or the league. When did this became top-level? Messi's case is not that bad, as he is playing in the Major League Soccer. But it is mostly regarded as a retirement destination for top European players. Only Ronaldo is playing top-level and highly competitive football as of now. And that is one of the reason why he is currently injured. Al Nassr is heavily dependent on him, and that puts a lot of stress as well as workload. 

[UchihaSarada]

Neymar playing at highest level? Dude he is playing for his childhood club (Santos FC) in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Hardly anyone outside Brazil has heard about the club, or the league. When did this became top-level? Messi's case is not that bad, as he is playing in the Major League Soccer. But it is mostly regarded as a retirement destination for top European players. Only Ronaldo is playing top-level and highly competitive football as of now. And that is one of the reason why he is currently injured. Al Nassr is heavily dependent on him, and that puts a lot of stress as well as workload. 

Neymar situation now is similar to situation of Eden Hazard in World Cup 2022 with Belgium but I think Neymar's situation, fitness and performance quality now are even worse than Hazard before World Cup 2022.

Hazard still played for Real Madrid before World Cup 2022 and even he had fitness issues, he looked better when running and dribbling than Neymar but we already witnessed how low quality Hazard played in that World Cup 2022 tournament for his national team. There was even a conflict between Hazard and De Bruyne during that tournament and after that Hazard officially retired his player career.

Neymar truly tried a lot and ambitiously fight for his chance to be called for Brazil in World Cup 2026 but I see the chance for him is almost zero.

[TastyChillySauce00]

Out of twenty voters, 12, which is 60%, accepted that only Messi and Ronaldo would make it to the World Cup. Even if he were not part of the players, coach Carlo Ancelotti should let him become part of the Brazilian national team delegation. If Neymar accepts such a position, he could be a source of inspiration to young players. His experince could be helful in supporting the players. 

No point to include Neymar in the squad or even delegation when he has nothing to contribute with. Ancelotti has exclude him from the Brazillian squad list. So it's a very strong signal Neymar won't be attend to the what he called as his last WC. So, betting on Messi and Ronaldo to attend has been most preferrable due to the Ancelotti's decision on Neymar's position. We know how harsh Ancelotti when he was at Real Madrid. When Ancelotti says no, it's rarely to see him reverse his decision.

[Daniel91]

Out of twenty voters, 12, which is 60%, accepted that only Messi and Ronaldo would make it to the World Cup. Even if he were not part of the players, coach Carlo Ancelotti should let him become part of the Brazilian national team delegation. If Neymar accepts such a position, he could be a source of inspiration to young players. His experince could be helful in supporting the players. 

No point to include Neymar in the squad or even delegation when he has nothing to contribute with. Ancelotti has exclude him from the Brazillian squad list. So it's a very strong signal Neymar won't be attend to the what he called as his last WC. So, betting on Messi and Ronaldo to attend has been most preferrable due to the Ancelotti's decision on Neymar's position. We know how harsh Ancelotti when he was at Real Madrid. When Ancelotti says no, it's rarely to see him reverse his decision.

This decision has been met with great dissatisfaction by the Brazilian public and media. Even some very famous Brazilian footballers are calling on Ancelotti to reconsider his decision due to the importance of Neymar for the Brazilian national team.
I think it is exaggerated and undeserved to say that Neymar has nothing to contribute to the Brazilian national team.
It is true that due to numerous injuries he is not fully fit for matches, but there is enough time until the start of the World Cup for him to recover and be fit for matches.
Even at 80% fit, Neymar is better than many other players.
This decision could lead to conflict between the coach and the Brazilian public and to divisions in the national team, which is not good.

[rdluffy]

That is the most sensible thing to do. Messi risks ruining his reputation, in case something goes wrong during the FIFA World Cup of 2026...

I understand that Messi could have ended his run with the national team after winning the title, it would have been a beautiful way to go out on a high note

However, I disagree with the idea that it would damage his reputation
Argentina could finish last in the 2026 World Cup and it wouldn’t damage Messi’s legacy in any way, especially since he has always been an exemplary player for his country

If he still enjoys playing soccer, the national team still needs him and he has something to contribute, it’s hard to imagine anyone turning that down

[Agbe]

Ronaldo and Messi will play the World Cup but as for Neymar, I am not sure but when the time comes and he is fit to play the tournament, The Brazilian Coach, Carlo Ancelotti didn't include Neymar in the preparatory training though this is not the final selection. In a competitive tournament like the World Cup, Coaches use players who are strong to run and score and I don't think Neymar is fitted to enter the field. But for the other two players will play but I was thinking that, the last World Cup was the last one for Messi.

[r_victory]

~snip

Fact is, and based on my own personal believe, old national football players tend to do well and drive their national team to victory or very close to it than the national team that are from this present generation, it's like the common saying here in my place that a new broom may sweet better and faster but an old broom know the corners where the new broom doesn't know yet..
The players who are close or even at the age of their retirement are considered idol to both the  fans and the new players in the field z this is why their presence always brings a different kind of vibe, if Neymar will be able to play for in the world Cup alongside the current Brazilian national team, it would be great for their nation.

I also think that a more experienced player raises the morale of the rest of the team, but, on the other hand, there are many good players just waiting for an opportunity to show what they can do and, when given that chance, the result may be better than having Neymar on the team or not.

This is a statement from coach Carlo Ancelotti:

"I observe everything, I listen to everything. But my role is to make decisions. It's normal for everyone to have an opinion, because football isn't a university. Everyone can give their opinion, because football isn't an exact science. Everyone has their own opinion; I have to respect everyone's opinion."

As I said, there's still a lot of pressure for Neymar to be called up, and the coach stated that he will only make a final decision on the matter in May. All that's left is to wait until then.

[aylabadia05]

But I’m going to ask you guys. If you were to bet, what would your bets be?
Will all three play in the 2026 World Cup, which will likely be their last?
Or will one of them be left out?

According to reports from several sources I’ve come across, it doesn’t look like Neymar will be there. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still expected to play in the World Cup—their final appearance in their professional soccer careers—given the physical condition they’ve maintained all this time.
If there were a betting site for this, I’d bet that Messi and Ronaldo will play in the World Cup and that Neymar won’t make the squad selected by his national team coach.

[macson]

The majority of people voted that Messi and Ronaldo would still play in this World Cup, and very few voted for Neymar. This shows that people are more confident that Messi and Ronaldo will play in this World Cup than Neymar due to his current health issues. Although it is hoped that Neymar will still be able to play as he is one of Brazil's best players, seeing Ancelotti's decision to once again not consider Neymar for the main squad makes his chances of playing in this World Cup very unlikely.

[xLays]

Most of their fans for sure still want to see them play. The only question now is whether they can still contribute at a high level, since they are no longer in their prime.
Cristiano Ronaldo might still be able to perform, but when it comes to Lionel Messi and Neymar I don’t think they can keep up with the younger players anymore.
If I were them given their current situation, I will not join the world cup. They don’t have anything left to prove anyway. It’s better to leave it to the younger players who are still in their prime and not injury prone lol.

[Zoomic]

Most of their fans for sure still want to see them play. The only question now is whether they can still contribute at a high level, since they are no longer in their prime.
Cristiano Ronaldo might still be able to perform, but when it comes to Lionel Messi and Neymar I don’t think they can keep up with the younger players anymore.
If I were them given their current situation, I will not join the world cup. They don’t have anything left to prove anyway. It’s better to leave it to the younger players who are still in their prime and not injury prone lol.

Why do you feel that Ronaldo of 40+ will be able to perform while both Neymar and Messi below 40 will not perform?

Also remember that WC is another world of reality, it is not only about young blood, there is a place for experience. A mixture will make more sense. In the last WC, Spain relied only of youthful energy and didn't succeed.

IMO, if there is anyone among them that is supposed to exempt himself from the WC, it's Messi. He is the current champion, so Ronaldo and Neymar needs it badly.

I also will like the coaches to include them all. Even when injured, a slot for them is a big plus to the national team.

[DYOR+BTC]

The majority of people voted that Messi and Ronaldo would still play in this World Cup, and very few voted for Neymar. This shows that people are more confident that Messi and Ronaldo will play in this World Cup than Neymar due to his current health issues. Although it is hoped that Neymar will still be able to play as he is one of Brazil's best players, seeing Ancelotti's decision to once again not consider Neymar for the main squad makes his chances of playing in this World Cup very unlikely.

Messi and Ronaldo are two wonderful players with great potentials that even at there current age most young players cannot compare themselves to them. They may be old but still possess all it takes to surface in the forth coming world Cup and still do what they are known for in the football pitchs so the probability that they both will feature in the world Cup is still sure and certain except they are injured that is the only time I can have doubt on there presence in the world Cup. As for Neymar, know doubt he is a good player with great talent
but his illness can stand as a barrier for him except he can recover quickly and train to get fit for the tournament if not his presence in the world Cup won't be possible as Brazil has are lot of options.

[GFOXOG]

Let's not forget, even being 40.  Ronaldo can still move with the best of them. Still in peak condition for 40.

That said he has picked up some injury as reported here.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/cristiano-ronaldo-injury-world-cup-36914272

Cristiano Ronaldo says he is "getting better every day" after picking up an injury before the World Cup. The icon won't appear for Portugal in their upcoming international friendlies against Mexico and the United States this week.

The 41-year-old has been out of action for Al-Nassr since February, missing two league games and having to continue rehabilitation privately. As he continues to recover, Ronaldo has missed the penultimate selection before the World Cup this summer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmeLCAP74KA
Some of his best moments.

[Baki202]

That is the most sensible thing to do. Messi risks ruining his reputation, in case something goes wrong during the FIFA World Cup of 2026. And Argentina is a well balanced team, and in the past they have proved that they can win matches even without Messi. But that is not the case with Portugal. They don't have the player depth and are entirely dependent on Ronaldo. Brazil will come somewhere in between these two extremes. They can manage to some extent without Neymar. But the squad will be obviously strengthened in case Neymar is included.

Messi is going to participate in the world cup tournament like Ronaldo and even if Argentina has a good skilled squad to deliver for the world cup it doesn't mean that Argentina has a high probability of winning this year competition.
I am very certain that Ronaldo is not going to miss a chance to play to his fully to win the world cup competition this time.

And I feel all of them are going to participate but I was thinking the last world cup was going to be last for Ronaldo and Messi specifically because I don't know why does dude don't want to retire they have made name already they have all the money so what exactly are they looking for and when it comes to football we know that nothing is guaranteed so who is going to win does not really matter and Argentina should not even think they will be able to win just because they won the last word cup and it is going to be the same for them again. And even Ronaldo am not so sure because Ronaldo is not as reliable as they are so a lot of things are can happen just that it's a trophy everyone have to fight for.

And there are now younger players and it will not only be entertaining but also very competitive because whou would have believed that Argentina was going to win I saw the pain in Ronaldo eyes the fact that he cried shows how the win matters to him and this might even be one of the reasons why he might still wants to participate in the upcoming world cup and the man is not done making history. And since Messi baged it then Ronaldo will want to also do the same.