Soccer god Lionel Messi (39, Inter Miami) does not think Argentina is as likely to win the 2026 World Cup as France, Spain, Brazil or Portugal.
In an interview with Argentine journalist Joaquín Álvarez on the 8th, Messi said, "There are many teams with better performance and player depth than Argentina." Commenting on the 2026 World Cup title race, Argentina captain Messi said, "There are a few teams that are rated higher than us right now."
Thirty-nine-year-old forward Lionel Messi is preparing for a tournament that could be his last World Cup. Since winning the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Argentina has kept key players under coach Lionel Scaloni. Defending a World Cup title is always difficult. The last team to win consecutive World Cups was Brazil in 1962.
Messi emphasized that Argentina will not enter the tournament with a defeatist attitude. He said, "Our team has always competed with everything it has since its founding," and added, "We will go to the World Cup and fight with all our hearts."
Messi spoke highly of France, whom Argentina beat in the 2022 World Cup final. Messi warned, "France is very strong. They really have many excellent players."
Beyond France, Messi praised the Spain national team, which achieved a successful resurgence by winning Euro 2024. Messi still named Brazil as a title contender. He said, "Brazil has not shown top form for a long time, but they are still a team that competes for the title," adding, "Brazil always has players who can compete in major tournaments."
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