Argentina Manager Breaks Silence on Lionel Messi’s 2026 World Cup Status

The eight-time Ballon d’Or has not yet confirmed if he will go the World Cup.

Lionel Messi remains a World Cup doubt. | Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Lionel Scaloni said it is still up to Lionel Messi whether he will play for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, but the national team manager will “do everything possible” to make it happen.

Messi would be on course for a record sixth men’s World Cup appearance, something Cristiano Ronaldo is also set to achieve this year after both debuted at the tournament in 2006. But unlike his long-time rival, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has expressed doubt on his participation.

Even now, well under 100 days before the World Cup will kick off and Argentina seeks to become the first country to repeat since Brazil in 1962, Messi is undecided.

“I’ll do everything possible to make sure he’s there,” Scaloni assured reporters ahead of Argentina’s hastily arranged friendly against Mauritania. “I believe that, for the good of soccer, he should be there. All Argentines want to see him, and so does the world.

“It will be up to him. His mindset, his mental state, his physical condition. Then we’ll see if he’s able to play every match. He has earned the right to decide—we’re in no rush.”

In September, Messi said he plans to take things “day by day, game by game” with regards to his World Cup involvement. “This year we had so many matches, one after another. I just came off a break for a few days, then had another setback,” he said at the time.

---

Messi Taking on New Opponents in March

Messi has played in six of seven Inter Miami games in 2026. | Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/Getty Images

The short-notice cancellation of the Finalissima—pitting the champions of Europe against the champions of South America—due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, left Argentina scrambling during this international window.

Not filling the time with matches would have taken away the last opportunity for Scaloni and staff to assess players in a national team setting before naming a provisional World Cup squad. Willing opponents were obviously in short supply due to most other countries having set their March schedule some time ago. It left Mauritania and Zambia, ranked 116th and 88th in the current FIFA World Rankings respectively, and both will play at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires.

“Messi will play both games but we will see if he will do so from the start,” Scaloni confirmed.

Messi has played six times since the new Inter Miami season began in late February, with his most recent match on March 22—he scored in the 3–2 victory over New York City. The 38-year-old, who turns 39 during the World Cup, has played every minute of every appearance in 2026, although he was left out of the Miami team against Charlotte FC two weeks ago to rest.

Given that Messi remains involved with Argentina at this late stage of World Cup preparations, it would come as a massive shock if he decided not to go to the final tournament after all.

---