Why Lionel Messi is not retiring from international soccer despite World Cup title

Even though Lionel Messi led Argentina to a 2022 World Cup victory, he says he’s not done yet.

After Argentina’s semifinal win over Croatia, the 35-year-old acknowledged that Sunday’s final against France would likely be his last match on the biggest sporting stage in the world.

However, he plans to continue on for Argentina, at least for the time being.

“I am not retiring from the national team,” Messi reportedly said in an interview with journalist Gastón Edul, who closely covers the Argentinean National Team. “I want to continue playing as a champion.”

The next World Cup takes place in the summer of 2026, when Messi will then be 38 at the start and turn 39 two weeks into the event. The 2026 World Cup will be held in North America, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

If he were to push forward that long, he’d become the first player in history to play in six World Cups. Currently, Messi is one of six players to have participated in five World Cups, a list that includes rival Cristiano Ronaldo, along with Rafael Marquez, Andres Guardado, Antonio Carbajal, and Lothar Matthaus.

Messi’s continuation with Argentina’s national team doesn’t mean he’ll last that long, though. The next Copa America — the premier soccer tournament featuring countries and territories from the Caribbean, North, South and Central America — will take place two years sooner in 2024.

The Copa America was initially going to be held in Ecuador, but a recent report indicated that the United States is poised to host the event, though nothing has been formally confirmed. In any event, Argentina would enter Copa America as the defending champions, having won the tournament in 2021, where Messi was named Best Player in the Tournament.

If Messi were to remain a fixture and suit up for the 2026 World Cup, he’d be far from the oldest player to participate in the tournament. That honor would go to Essam El Hadary of Egypt, who played in 2018 at 45 years old.