Leo Messi Set for Sixth World Cup With Argentina
leo messi is set to play in a joint-record sixth World Cup for Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a run that would extend one of the longest elite international careers in the sport. The defending champions open Group J against Algeria on Tuesday at 9 pm ET.
Messi and Argentina in Group J
Argentina begins this tournament as the holder of the title, and Messi remains the player around whom the entire campaign turns. He has hinted on multiple occasions that this summer could end his national team career, which gives the opener against Algeria a sharper edge than a normal group match.
The 2026 tournament would also put him in position to keep adding to a World Cup record sheet that already includes 13 goals and 8 assists in 26 previous appearances from 2006 to 2022. He is three goals shy of Miroslav Klose's mark of 16, the standard that still sits above everyone else in World Cup scoring.
Messi’s record line for Argentina
Messi's World Cup résumé is built on more than volume. He won the Golden Ball in 2014 and again in 2022, making him the only player to take the award twice, and he scored twice while converting a penalty in Argentina's penalty shootout win over France in the 2022 final.
That final remains the most recent proof of how much the team still runs through him in the biggest moments. Over his international career, Messi has guided Argentina to four straight titles, and he now carries 47 major trophies between club and country along with eight Ballon d'Or awards.
Diego Maradona comparison
The debate over whether Messi or Diego Armando Maradona is Argentina's best-ever player is still part of the backdrop, but the numbers already place him in a category on his own. A sixth World Cup would give that argument another chapter while also giving Argentina another chance to defend its title with the same captain who delivered the last one.
If this is his last tournament with Argentina, the opener against Algeria is the first step in a final stretch built around a player who has already done nearly everything else.
