Lionel Andrés Messi got rid of the thorn of not having been able to win a World Cup in his career, his most coveted trophy, by managing to lift the World Cup in Qatar 2022, establishing himself as the best player of all time by the vast majority of football fans.
After winning another Copa América, being two-time reigning champions with the recent one in the United States, in the 2024 edition, many are wondering whether the “10”, who was injured in the final against Colombia, will be in top form or not to play in his sixth World Cup. How old will he be?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will have a new format, which was unanimously approved by the FIFA Council itself. The tournament will have 48 teams divided into twelve groups of four. On the other hand, the new scheme establishes that the teams that reach the final, to be played on Sunday, July 19, will have to have played seven games, one more than those played in the last FIFA World Cup 2022, in Qatar.
At the next meeting, which will take place in Mexico, Canada and the United States, in 2026, Lionel Messi will start the championship at 38 years oldsince the kick-off will be on Tuesday, June 9 of that year, but on the 24th of that month, Leo will be 39 years old.
If he is looking for a sixth participation in the event (an absolute record, which could be shared with Cristiano Ronaldo, if the Portuguese star makes it to the event), Leo will be almost 40 years oldIt is up to him to decide whether he wants to be there or not, coach Lionel Scaloni has stated it many times, that the decision is in his hands.
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