Argentina captain Lionel Messi has said he is unsure about his participation in the next World Cup to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2026, when he will be 39.
"I don't know if I will get there," he told Argentine media personality Miguel Garrados in an interview broadcast on YouTube on Thursday. "I don't think about it yet because it is far away."
For now, Messi said he is focused on the 2024 US-hosted Copa America tournament.
"After the Copa America we'll see, it will depend on how I feel," he said. "There are still three years left."
Lionel Messi about the 2026 WORLD CUP 🚨
— Bleed Barcelona (@bleed_barcelona) September 21, 2023
🗣️ “I don't know if I will participate or not. I'm not thinking about it, I'm thinking about Copa America now, we'll see after that, it depends on how I feel at the time, there are still three years left.”#Messi #Mbappe #PSG pic.twitter.com/cWuGhilki4
Messi led Argentina to victory against France in the World Cup final in Qatar last December.
In the interview, he reiterated his disappointment with not having received sufficient "recognition" at his former French club Paris Saint-Germain after holding aloft the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He claimed he was the only one of his Argentine teammates "who got no recognition" from his club.
"It was not what I expected but I've always said that things happen for a reason," Messi said of his Paris years, adding he "wasn't well there."
🚨🚨🎙️| Lionel Messi: “I was the only player that didn’t receive recognition from the club [for winning the world cup] compared to my 25 Argentina teammates.” 😳 pic.twitter.com/4WO9DT4h7n
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) September 21, 2023
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner had already stated on numerous occasions that he was unhappy at PSG before moving to Florida to play for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.