Football/Not The Last Dance? Messi Doesn't Rule Out Playing At 2026

After winning his first World Cup in December, Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi said it would be his last, but now appears to be open to the possibility of playing again in 2026.

"It will be difficult to play in 2026 because of my age," Messi, 35, said in an interview with Argentine sports newspaper Diario Ole, Reuters reported.

"I love playing football and I feel I am in good shape and I enjoy it and I will keep going," Messi said. "It seems like a long time until the next World Cup and it depends on how my career goes."

"I haven't planned anything yet, I will be 36 this year and I will see where my career will go and what I will do, it depends on a lot of things," stressed Messi. "The truth is that I don't have any problems with Kylian Mbappe," Messi said of the constant speculation about his disagreement with his teammate.

"I think Messi could play in the next World Cup," Lionel Scaloni, head coach of Argentina's national football team, told Spanish radio station Calvia FM last month.