Forty-one days have passed since 2025 Major League Football final in which InterMiami defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps to win the first league title in club history. This Saturday, Lionel Messi and his teammates returned to preseason training ahead of the 2026 campaign, a crucial year for the Argentine forward.
As for the future, Messi doesn’t just have to deal with commitments at the Herons MLSthe League Cupand the Concacaf Champions Cupbut above all the opportunity to play in what would be his last major tournament with the Argentina national team: the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Even though you are part of the entire process under the head coach Lionel Scaloni from 2023 until the international break of November 2025, Messi has not yet secured his participation in the competition FIFA tournament, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Messi will turn 39 during the World Cup. That’s an unusual age for a footballer, especially a member of an elite national team like Argentina. For that reason, he has expressed doubts about his availability for the challenge, especially regarding the physical fitness required to meet the demands of the tournament.
Lionel Messi won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina.
Messi speaks about the importance of the 2026 preseason
In recent months, almost every public appearance by Lionel Messi has asked the same question that captivates fans around the world: will he play with Argentina in the 2026 World Cup? Consistently, the attacker has avoided giving a definitive answer.
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Instead, he has made it clear what will ultimately determine his decision. “A World Cup is the biggest competition there is. I’m excited, but I’ll take it day by day,” he said in an interview with ESPN in December.
“It comes at a very different time in the season than in Europe and other competitions. We start preseason in January and from February to May we have many matches in the Concacaf Champions Cup and the league. We will play often, and I hope I have a good preseason to prepare for that,Messi explained.
With those words, the Argentine star outlined what is at stake in the coming weeks: nothing less than the chance to play in his sixth and final World Cup. “I’m going to take it day by day, be honest, try to be realistic and feel good,” said Messi. That’s why things are happening during the upcoming preseason Javier Mascherano could play a decisive role in Leo’s final decision.
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