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Live sport on SN this weekend'It's up to Leo': uncertainty over Messi's World Cup
George Sessions • March 28th, 2026 12:27 pm
Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup after their 2022 triumph - but will he play in the 2026 finals? (AP PHOTO)
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni says it is up to Lionel Messi to decide whether he will play at this summer's World Cup.
Messi played his final competitive match for Argentina on home turf in September, but the man considered by many as the game's greatest ever player was coy over his participation in the tournament in America.
Uncertainty has swirled around Messi's potential involvement in a sixth World Cup ever since and ahead of friendly fixtures with Mauritania and Zambia, Scaloni admitted it was now completely up to 38-year-old.
"This is a question more for him but as far as I'm concerned, you already know what I think. I will do everything I can to make sure he is there," Scaloni told a press conference on Friday.
"I believe he has to be there, for the sake of football, but it's not me who decides. It's up to him, how he feels in his mind and his physical condition.
"It's difficult because it's not just Argentinians who want to see him, everyone wants to see him
"And then we have the dilemma as his coaches when he's there, if he's able to play the whole game or if he's not.
"I want him to be there, but he's the one who decides. I'm not going to stand here and say, 'let's see if I pick him or not'.
"He has earned the right to decide calmly. We are not in a rush. We know that whatever he decides will be the best thing for both him and the team. We hope he'll be there but I can't say much more."
