At that time, he will be 39 years old, and foreign media expect Messi to compete in the 2026 World Cup, and Argentina is still the favorite to win the championship

The Argentine men's football team defeated its rival Brazil 4:1 in the South American qualifying match of the 2026 World Cup on the 26th, becoming the first team in South America to qualify for the main competition.

Whether Messi will wear the Argentine jersey and lead the team to fight for hegemony has become the focus

Although Argentina unexpectedly lost to Saudi Arabia in the first game of the group stage in the 2022 World Cup, they advanced all the way to the final and defeated France in the final to win their third title. For the first time in the 2026 World Cup, the number of teams in the tournament will be expanded to 48 teams, of which South America will have a total of six places.

Argentina took the lead in South America with 10 wins, 1 and 3 losses, and beat Brazil on the 26th.

It is worth mentioning that Argentina only played 14 games to get a ticket to the World Cup, and it is also the 19th time in team history that they have advanced to the finals, second only to Germany with 20 times and Brazil with 22 times.

Messi, who scored 115 goals for Argentina in his career, contributed 6 goals in this qualifying tournament, but he is 37 years old, and there is no clear answer to whether he can participate in 6 consecutive competitions so far, but foreign media expect Messi to fight again, and as long as he is there, Argentina is still the favorite to win the championship.