A senior figure in Argentina has expressed his wish for Lionel Messi to participate in the 2026 World Cup to defend the gold trophy.

Argentina have officially qualified for the 2026 World Cup after a successful South American qualifying campaign. However, there is still some concern among fans of this country as Lionel Messi has not yet decided to participate in the final World Cup.

That hope not only comes from millions of fans around the world, but also from the President of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Mr. Claudio Tapia, sincerely expressed. In a recent interview with the Gelatina program, Tapia hopes that Messi will play at the biggest football festival on the planet, and will be a big threat to his opponents.

Specifically, the head of AFA said: ” I hope Messi will be present at the next World Cup . Everything will depend on how he feels, both physically and mentally. Just having Messi on the pitch is an advantage. It is unbelievable to see how much influence his presence has, on opponents, on everyone. If we had Messi, we would have had a partial advantage…

Personally, I would love to see Messi continue to break records, and give all Argentines, especially the national team, the opportunity to see him play one more time at the World Cup.”

If Lionel Messi decides to play in the 2026 World Cup, he will have the opportunity to set many memorable records in his legendary career. At that time, Messi will become the first player in history to participate in six World Cups, an unprecedented milestone.

However, the Argentine superstar is not alone in this race, because Cristiano Ronaldo is also aiming for a similar achievement if he continues to wear the Portuguese national team shirt in the upcoming tournament.

Messi currently holds a number of World Cup records, including the most appearances as captain of the national team, with a total of 19. He is also the player with the most minutes played in the tournament’s history, with 2,314 minutes, surpassing the previous record of Italian legend Paolo Maldini with 2,217 minutes.

Therefore, if he returns in 2026, Messi will not only have the opportunity to defend the world championship with Argentina, but can also continue to affirm his iconic status and expand his great legacy with new historical milestones.