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World Cup news: Lionel Messi delivers cryptic update for 2026 participation
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- World Cup news: Lionel Messi delivers cryptic update for 2026 participation
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Argentina and Inter Miami striker Lionel Messi is considered by many the greatest to ever play the game, and is still going strong. Messi has 29 goals and 16 assists for Miami this season and is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world , but if he is to be believed, there is no guarantee that he will be playing at next year's World Cup, set to be played in the US, Mexico, and Canada .
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"I hope I can be there. I've said before that I'd love to be there. At worst, I'll be there watching it live, but it will be special," he explained per ESPN.
The former Barcelona superstar will be 39 when the tournament arrives next June. However, he is still confident that his nation will do well.
"The World Cup is special for everyone, for any country — especially for us, because we live it in a completely different way. The truth is we have extraordinary players, and it's been shown for years — especially the desire and excitement since [Lionel] Scaloni took over," he explained.
Argentina has been on a trophy-winning spree in recent years. They won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024 in addition to winning the World Cup in 2022, their first since 1986, during the days of Diego Maradona.
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"The mentality everyone has. It's a squad full of winners, with strong mindsets, who want to win more, and that's contagious. You see it in training, in matches. You see them train and they give everything," Messi said, explaining that the fact that every player gave it their all defined the group.
"Scaloni and his staff built all of this. The day-to-day atmosphere comes from them. New players keep appearing; aside from the ones already there, new faces keep coming in. When a group is like this, it's easier for newcomers to fit in," he said, before claiming that the team needed to make the most of the situation and keep winning big trophies in the coming time.
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