Will Lionel Messi play for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup?

Lionel Messi effectively completed football when he led Argentina to the World Cup in Qatar three-and-a-half years ago.

The Argentina legend scored seven goals in Argentina's unforgettable journey to glory, which culminated with a penalty shootout win over France in the final.

After ending their 32-year wait for their third World Cup triumph, La Albiceleste will attempt to become the first country to retain it since Brazil in 1962 when they head to North America this summer.  

Argentina will start their defence in Group J, where they will compete with Algeria, Austria and Jordan.

The key question is, will Messi be there when Argentina kick off their campaign against Algeria on June 16.

Here, Sports Mole provides the latest information about whether the Inter Miami captain will feature in a sixth World Cup.

Will Messi play in the 2026 World Cup?

Messi has played in each of Argentina's last four matches, including his country's first two fixtures in 2026. 

The 38-year-old came off the bench at half time of a 2-1 victory over Mauritania, before he found the net in a commanding 5-0 win against Zambia. 

However, he is yet to communicate a decision about whether he plans to play in the World Cup, despite admitting in December that he would "love to be there".

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni explained in March that he will do "everything" to make sure Messi is at the tournament.

That said, Scaloni insisted that Messi has "earned the right" to have the final say over his level of involvement. 

Messi has made a promising start to the 2026 season with Inter Miami, but he must consider whether he feels his body can cope with the demands of playing tournament football at this stage of his career.

The former Barcelona forward will also be keen to make a positive impact in what would be his final World Cup appearance, so he would need to consider whether he believes he can still perform and contribute at the highest level. 

When will Argentina name their World Cup squad?

While Argentina will give Messi all the time possible to make his decision, the clock is ticking towards the first FIFA squad deadline.

Argentina have until May 11 to submit their preliminary list of between 35 and 35 players, although there is no requirement to make this initial selection public.

Scaloni will then need to submit his final squad list to FIFA by May 30, which must include 23 players and not exceed 26.