This Thursday, the Argentine national team announced the preliminary list of international players called up for the upcoming double round of South American qualifiers, on June 5 against Chile and on June 10 against Colombia, and highlighted the presence of Lionel Messi, who is returning to the “Albiceleste” after missing the March matches due to injury.
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Alongside Messi, other notable names like Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), and Julián Alvarez, Nahuel Molina, Giuliano Simeone, Rodrigo De Paul, and Ángel Correa (Atletico Madrid) also appear.
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Argentina has already qualified for the next World Cup in 2026, and for this reason, it is surprising that the coach Lionel Scaloni is calling up players, such as Messi, who will have to face the Club World Cup after these qualifying matches. This means an overload of games after a long season.
A sign that Messi will play in the 2026 World Cup?
After winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Messi said that would be his last World Cup, but two and a half years have passed and the Argentine star remains active and a starter for his national team.
A few days ago, in a conversation with “Simplemente Fútbol” by Quique Wolff, Messi said that he does not want to set a goal and that “I will take it day by day, and see how I feel physically and be honest with myself about whether I am ready to play or not.”
The Inter Miami player added that “last year I started the preseason and I had a couple of games where I didn’t play due to injuries or not being at 100%, but this year I had a good preseason, I started well, it’s a long year, it starts here and you don’t stop until December and in June there is the Club World Cup."
Therefore, the upcoming weeks, filled with matches in the qualifiers and then in the Club World Cup (Inter debuts on June 14th in Miami against Al Ahly from Egypt), and without a break in the MLS, could be crucial in determining if Messi’s physical condition can still hold up for high-level competition, considering he would turn 39 during the next World Cup.
In an interview with El País de Uruguay, Luis Suárez, Messi’s teammate and friend, said, “No, yes, in a joking tone we often talk, but he also has that desire to play in next year’s World Cup.”
The appeal of watching Messi in the upcoming World Cup is enormous: the tournament will mainly take place in the United States, a country where the Argentine has become a sports idol, and he could become the first footballer in history to play in six World Cups.
Will Messi renew with Inter Miami?
The Argentine star has a contract with the Miami team until December 2025 and discussions to extend the contract for one more season have stalled.
Messi’s renewal with Inter, the team that would be the last of his career, seems essential to play in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
But there is a good sign: Jordi Alba, another one of Messi’s friends who arrived at Inter Miami, renewed his contract until 2027.
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