Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi discusses future plans: 2024 Copa América, 2026 World Cup and retirement
The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with Messi’s Argentina the defending champions.
In a wide-ranging interview given to Argentine actor and comedian Migue Granados of streaming channel Olga TV, Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi discussed what the future holds for him, including his thoughts on whether he would feature for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and his eventual retirement from soccer.
Leo Messi on next World Cup: “I want to arrive to the next Copa America in good condition then I will see depending on how I am”. 🏆🇦🇷
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 21, 2023
“I'm not thinking about the next World Cup yet. The years have passed and we have to see how I feel, I will see it day by day”, via @olgaenvivo. pic.twitter.com/NN3zuD6yav
Will Lionel Messi play for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup?
There has plenty of speculation as to whether the 2022 World Cup-winning captain will be involved in La Albiceleste defending the trophy, but the former Barcelona playmaker revealed that he hasn’t given it much thought, preferring to focus on the short and medium term, including the 2024 Copa América.
“I haven’t thought about it yet because it’s still a long way off. But I have thought about the Copa América, that will be played here in the United States, and my objective is to be ready to play. It’s going to be great because we already played the Copa América Centenario here (in 2016) and we really enjoyed it, the stadiums were incredible. After the Copa América, we’ll see what happens. I’ll see how I feel, I’ll take things one day at a time. It’s still three years away”, Messi explained.
What will Inter Miami star do when he retires from soccer?
Messi, now 36-years-old, was also asked about his retirement after his spell in Miami, which you’d have to think will come sooner rather than later. However, that’s also something that hasn’t crossed his mind yet.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner does think he would like to stay involved in soccer in some capacity but isn’t completely sure on what role he could play.
🎙️ “What would you like to do after retirement?”
— Barça Worldwide (@BarcaWorldwide) September 21, 2023
🇦🇷🗣️ Leo Messi: "I don't know, I love everything related to football. I love being with children and teaching them, and also the idea of being a sports director, but I don't know where I'll start…” pic.twitter.com/64soTP6LQb
Messi: “I don’t want to think about retirement”
“I haven’t thought about it and I don’t want to think about it either, because I want to continue enjoying what I do. I took a big step in leaving Europe and coming here and I don’t want to think about the next step, I want to continue to enjoy playing as much as I can because that’s what I like most.
“What am I going to do? I don’t know, I like everything related to soccer. I like working with kids, teaching, maybe I could become a sporting director too, but I still don’t know what I will do”, the Inter Miami attacker added.
Watch Messi, Miami and the rest of MLS on AppleTV, which offers a free trial