Lionel Messi, the 43-year-old Argentine legend, is facing the possibility of playing in his final World Cup after Argentina's loss to Spain in the 2026 final.
It's hard to think of an athlete who has meant more to his country than Messi since Pelé led Brazil to three World Cups. He's visibly emotional after playing in what could be his final FIFA World Cup match. If this is it, thank you Leo 🩵 pic.twitter.com/CZfteurfH1 — FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 19, 2026
Messi turns 43 in the summer of 2030, and an unprecedented seventh World Cup appearance is highly unlikely, even as Argentina co-hosts the next tournament. Never say never, but the future is now.
The 2026 World Cup marked a moment of reckoning for Messi, who has eight Ballon d'Or wins, 13 league titles, and four Champions League wins. His resumé is unmatched in modern soccer history.
Argentina doesn't make it to the final without Messi. Heck, it might not even make it past Cape Verde in the Round of 32. The team's chances with him are the best it can get.
Messi has already begun to focus on his club career with Inter Miami, signing a three-year deal in 2023 that was later extended through the 2028 campaign. That contract will take Messi up to a month shy of his 41st birthday.
The question now is whether Messi will continue playing after that. The 2028 Copa América doesn't officially have a host, and the United States could again serve as the location as it did in 2024. Argentina is the two-time defending Copa América champion, and an attempt at a three-peat could be the way for Messi to officially exit the international stage.
The Argentina squad that heads to the 2030 World Cup will be a very different team from the one that's reached three of the last four World Cup finals. With six players over the age of 30 in the starting lineup, the team's pipeline for 2030 and beyond is unclear.
Messi's legacy is secure, with or without another World Cup. He's the best men's soccer player ever, and no one can deny that. What other player could score a hat trick when becoming the first player to ever play in six World Cups?
Source: Yahoo Sports
