Lionel Messi celebrating with Argentina after winning the 2022 World Cup
Lionel Messi has dropped his early predictions for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and in classic Messi fashion, he kept it honest, humble, and a little surprising.
In a sit-down with MLS Espanyol, the Inter Miami superstar admitted that defending Argentina’s world title will be extremely difficult — so difficult that he didn’t even include the defending champions among his list of favourites.
Yes, you read that right.
Argentina didn’t make Messi’s own favourites list.
When asked who he believes are the strongest contenders for the next World Cup, Messi pointed to four teams:
Spain
France
England
Brazil
He also mentioned Germany as a strong contender, but made it clear that these four hold the edge in terms of quality, structure, and ambition.
“There are very strong teams, like Spain, France again, England, and Brazil, who haven’t been champions for a long time and want to be champions, plus Germany,” Messi said.
The most surprising part?
No mention of Argentina.
No mention of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
No mention of other heavyweights like the Netherlands.
Messi doubled down on the difficulty of being the team everyone wants to beat.
“Everyone wanted to beat Argentina, and now that we’re the latest world champions, it has become even more challenging,” he explained. “It’s very tough, but we won’t stop competing, that’s for sure.”
This is peak Messi: humble, realistic, and laser-focused on performance rather than hype.
The question fans never get tired of asking — and Messi never gets tired of answering carefully.
As Pulse Sports previously reported, Messi still has not fully decided whether he will play in the 2026 tournament. But this time, he admitted something encouraging:
He wants to play.
He may be undecided, but the desire is there — and that alone is enough to keep the football world buzzing.
Messi’s prediction is grounded and strategic. Spain are rising, England are packed with young talent, France remain a powerhouse, and Brazil are hungry to reclaim their lost glory.
Whether or not Messi features in 2026, one thing is guaranteed:
The world will be watching.
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