Lionel Messi affirmed that he has already played his final FIFA World Cup game, just days after sealing and confirming his blockbuster deal and transfer to Inter Miami. He announced on Tuesday that he has no plans to wear the Argentina jersey in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Messi led Argentina to the World Cup victory in December of last year, his 5th appearance in the tournament. Argentina’s third World Cup championship and the first since the famous Diego Maradona lifted the cup in 1986. Their first victory came in 1978.
Messi had previously stated that the Qatar World Cup would be his final tournament, but fans, teammates and coach Lionel Scaloni remained hopeful for a change of heart, which could see their most capped player and leading goal scorer participate in the 2026 edition, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
According to Efe News Agency, Messi affirmed his World Cup stance to Chinese sports outlet Titan Sports when questioned about the 2026 event. “I think not. [Qatar] was my last World Cup. I’ll see how things go, but as it is right now, no, I won’t go to the next World Cup.”
The 35-year-old is now in China for Argentina’s international friendly against Australia on Thursday and Indonesia on Monday.