Argentina already knows its rivals for the 2026 World Cup after the draw was held Friday. Lionel Messi recently spoke about his potential participation in the tournament.
Messi, 38, spoke with ESPN about whether he will play in the upcoming World Cup. The Inter Miami star did not confirm he will be present, but did not rule it out.
“He (Lionel Scaloni, Argentina’s head coach) understands, and we’ve talked a lot about it, not just now but for a while. He always tells me that, for him, he’d like me to be in the place I’m meant to be,” he said.
“As I told you before, we have a relationship with a lot of trust where we can tell each other things and talk about everything,” added Messi.
The Argentine star is currently focused on the 2025 MLS Cup, in which he will face Thomas Müller’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, in an attempt to win Inter Miami’s first league title.
Argentina Already Knows Its Rivals for the 2026 World Cup
On Friday, Argentina finally learned who it will face during the next edition of the World Cup. La Albiceleste will be in Group J. They are joined by Algeria, Austria and Jordan.
The remaining groups were divided as follows:
Group A
- Mexico
- South Africa
- South Korea
- European Playoff D (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia, or Ireland)
Group B
- Canada
- European Playoff A (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, or Bosnia & Herzegovina)
- Qatar
- Switzerland
Group C
- Brazil
- Morocco
- Haiti
- Scotland
Group D
- United States
- Paraguay
- Australia
- European Playoff C (Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia, or Kosovo)
Group E
- Germany
- Curacao
- Ivory Coast
- Ecuador
Group F
- Netherlands
- Japan
- European Playoff B (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, or Albania)
- Tunisia
Group G
- Belgium
- Egypt
- Iran
- New Zealand
Group H
- Spain
- Cape Verde
- Saudi Arabia
- Uruguay
Group I
- France
- Senegal
- FIFA Intercontinental Playoff Tournament 2 (Bolivia, Suriname, or Iraq)
- Norway
Group K
- Portugal
- FIFA Intercontinental Playoff Tournament 1 (Jamaica, New Caledonia, or DR Congo)
- Uzbekistan
- Colombia
Group L
- England
- Croatia
- Ghana
- Panama