Argentine Coach Hopes Lionel Messi Will Stay In The 2026 World Cup

JAKARTA - The 2026 World Cup will be the final title of Argentina's national team captain Lionel Messi. This is if Messi fulfills coach Lionel Scaloni's request who hopes Messi will remain part of La Albiceleste who wants to defend the title.

Messi successfully led Argentina to a prestigious trophy for the third time at the 2022 World Cup. In the final match, Argentina beat France through a penalty shootout drama and made Messi fulfill his dream of lifting the trophy.

The success of the 2022 World Cup perfects Messi's status as one of the legends of world football. What for now cannot be done is his eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who also brought Portugal to the final round which was held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Messi himself is still a puzzle whether he can play in the 2026 World Cup. Because next year the age of the star of the MLS Inter Miami club is 39. The former player who skyrocketed with Barcelona also began to get injured frequently.

But Messi revealed that Scaloni hopes that he will continue to play in the World Cup. Whatever the role, this eight-time Ballon d'Or winner must be in the national team.

Messi himself expressed his desire to play in the World Cup for the sixth time. Moreover, he has a lot of fans for playing in the US professional league.

"I hope I can be there [World Cup 2026]. I've said that I'm happy to be there," Messi said in an interview with ESPN.

He has also anticipated that if the worst scenario arises, he is injured and must miss the World Cup. If that's the case, he will still go to the stadium as an Argentine supporter.

If things go bad, I will watch the game live. Because the World Cup is a very special moment. A special moment for anyone, for any country, including our country. This is because we watch football in a different way," he said.

Messi revealed that Scaloni also wanted him to stay in the World Cup. "We've already talked about it. He [Scaloni] can understand and we have a lot of discussions. He wants me to stay in the squad, whatever his role. We do have a good relationship and trust each other," said Messi again.

Argentina continues to show consistency after becoming champions in Qatar. They continued their success by winning the 2024 Copa America. When qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, Argentina was almost unstoppable and won the Conmebol zone qualifiers and qualified automatically for the finals.

At the 2026 World Cup, Argentina, which became the first seed, entered Group J. They competed with Algeria, Austria and the debutant team from Asia, Jordan. From their opponents, Argentina is predicted to have no trouble stepping into the knockout round.