EXCLUSIVE: Lionel Messi on whether he’ll play in the FIFA World Cup 2026

Anywhere on the planet, no matter what language you speak, one word means great. Just three years ago, Lionel Messi held the trophy for Argentina, leading his home country to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. That moment and this image becoming one of the most liked photos on Instagram with more than 74 million likes. He is the biggest soccer star in the world, but rarely gives interviews. Sitting down with us because he may be getting ready to surprise the world. Take me back when you won in 2022 and you held that trophy up and you were on the shoulders of your teammates. What was going through your mind? Well, everything I went through and everything I did to achieve that, it was the dream of my life and it all came to mind, everything I went through to get there, my family, my people and Argentina. Messi, who grew up in Rosario, Argentina, was a soccer prodigy, recruited to play in Spain as a teenager, dominating for decades, playing professionally with teams in Barcelona and Paris. The best number 10 in the world, Lionel Andres. Then in 2023, he made a bold move to America, similar to another star of the sport, David Beckham, who helped bring Messi to the States on the team Beckham co-owned Inter Miami. His first game selling out and ending with this epic goal, Messi winning it all in the final minutes. Do you believe in signs? Do you think that was a sign? Well, I'm of the belief that God always decides and does everything. And at that moment, he had that prepared for me. And now with his team in the MLS playoffs, Messi deciding to extend his contract, telling us first why. Was it a tough decision to make to say yes? Honestly, it wasn't. I've always said that I base my decision on how I feel day to day and how I feel physically and mentally to continue playing and to continue being part of this club. And he still has some unfinished business. What's tougher, winning a World Cup or getting soccer to be one of the largest, most premier sports in the United States? Well, I think that growing soccer in the United States is possible. I think it's time to do it. And soccer will get its biggest opportunity in front of an American audience next summer when the World Cup comes to North America. I think the United States is going to be spectacular. It sounds like something the greatest player in the world would not want to miss. Are you going to play in the World Cup? Well, the truth is that, yes, it's something extraordinary to be able to be in a World Cup. And I would like to be there, to feel well and to be an important part of helping my national team if I am there. And I'm going to assess that on a day-to-day basis when I start preseason next year with Inter and see if I can really be 100 percent. I'm really eager because it's a World Cup. We're coming off winning the last World Cup and being able to defend it on the field again is spectacular because it's always a dream to play with the national team, especially in official competitions. So hopefully God will allow me to do it once again.