Messi said that he does not think he will play in the 2026 World Cup in an interview with the Chinese television station Titan Sports. 

“I’ve said it a few times, I think this was my last World Cup,” he said. “We’ll see how things go, but I don’t think I’ll make it to the next World Cup.”

The next tournament will take place in the US, Mexico, and Canada. The Argentine star will turn 35 next month, having won both the Copa America and the World Cup in recent years. Today’s comments echo the superstar’s previous statements, both before and after the tournament in Qatar, that this would be his final time representing la albiceleste on the biggest stage.

Messi has already retired from the national team once before, in 2016, following the devastation of missing his penalty in the shootout against Chile in the 2015 Copa America and losing the 2014 World Cup against Germany in extra time. This time, his announcement comes after winning both of the major trophies for his country. 

The Argentine national team is in China this week ahead of two friendly matches against Australia and Indonesia. Although Messi is captaining his side, he is likely to leave before the match against Indonesia for an extended vacation before he joins his new club Inter Miami later this year. 

Messi has developed a dedicated fanbase in China, including Jiao Zhang who recently traveled to Rosario and La Bombonera to gain a better understanding of her Argentine idol’s roots. Messi is scheduled to appear Wednesday evening alongside Chinese influencer Li Xuanzhuo on Alibaba’s live stream app Taobao. 

He was also scheduled to open a theme park in the city of Nanjing, which features a virtual reality experience about his life as well as the growth of football in China. Built on an 800,000 sq.m. site and valued at USD$200 million, this project was scheduled for completion in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Messi has not indicated whether he will play in the 2024 Copa America, whose location in the US has yet to be announced. For those wanting to see the legend in person before he retires from the national team, the match this week against Australia may be one of the last opportunities.