The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to take place tomorrow (Friday) at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Just a day before the groups for football’s next global spectacle—co-hosted by Mexico, the USA, and Canada—are revealed, Lionel Messi opened up about his emotions surrounding the upcoming tournament.
The Argentine captain admitted he feels both confidence and caution as Argentina prepares to defend the World Cup title won in Qatar. Speaking to ESPN, Messi reflected on the unpredictable nature of the tournament.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒐𝒖𝒕,” 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.
He stressed how unforgiving the World Cup can be, noting that even a minor moment—like a shot hitting the post—can end a team’s journey. Messi added that despite strong performances, luck often plays a crucial role.
Messi Reflects on Qatar, Penalties, and Guardiola’s Influence
Lionel recalled Argentina’s tense clashes with the Netherlands and France at the Qatar World Cup. “We played really well in both matches, but they still went to penalties,” he noted, praising Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez for his decisive role.
“𝑰𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒅,” 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅.
Shifting to another topic, Messi praised Pep Guardiola, calling him the greatest coach he has worked with. According to the Inter Miami star, Guardiola’s tactical insight, vision, and communication make him truly exceptional. “He wins everywhere he goes, and not just wins—the style sets him apart,” Messi said.
Argentina will aim to defend its crown at the 2026 World Cup, but Messi warned that repeating Qatar’s success will be anything but simple. Still, it’s widely believed that the Argentine icon will appear again on football’s biggest stage.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has already confirmed that the next World Cup will mark his final appearance.
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