Messi Has Doubts about Playing 2026 World Cup at Age 39

Football - Ligue 1 - Montpellier v Paris St Germain - Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France - February 1, 2023 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi during the match. (Reuters)
Football - Ligue 1 - Montpellier v Paris St Germain - Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France - February 1, 2023 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi during the match. (Reuters)
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Messi Has Doubts about Playing 2026 World Cup at Age 39

Football - Ligue 1 - Montpellier v Paris St Germain - Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France - February 1, 2023 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi during the match. (Reuters)
Football - Ligue 1 - Montpellier v Paris St Germain - Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France - February 1, 2023 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi during the match. (Reuters)

Lionel Messi may be in doubt as to whether he’ll be still playing for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup but he’s sure about one thing: he wants Lionel Scaloni to stay on as head coach until then, regardless.

The 35-year-old Messi led Argentina to the title in Qatar last December and wasn’t entirely sure if his fifth trip to the World Cup would be his last. The next edition will take place in Mexico, Canada and the United States when Messi is 39.

Messi told newspaper Olé in an interview published Thursday that he'd regularly said his age would make it difficult to play another World Cup.

“I love playing soccer, I love what I do and while I am feeling well and feel I am fit and continue to enjoy it, I will do it. But it seems to be too much until the next World Cup,” he told the newspaper. “I have to see where my career goes, what I will do. It depends on many things.”

In the near future, he suggested he wants to play in next year's Copa America in the US to help Argentina defend its title.

“I will stay a little longer, I have to enjoy this,” he said.

Scaloni is negotiating an extension of his contract with the Argentinian soccer federation and Messi thinks the coach should remain on the job.

“He is very important for the national team,” Messi said. “To continue with this process would be spectacular.”

Asked what it was like returning to his club París Saint Germain after Argentina beat France on penalties to win the World Cup, Messi said he didn't have deep discussions about it with his teammate Kylian Mbappé, the French striker.

“One doesn't want to speak and bring the topic of the final,” Messi said, recalling his own experience after losing the 2014 World Cup final to Germany in Brazil. “I was also on the other side, I lost a World Cup final and I didn't want to talk about it.”

“Truth is there is no problem with Kylian, quite on the contrary,” Messi said.

Messi is set to play for Argentina in friendlies to be scheduled in Buenos Aires in March to celebrate the team's third World Cup title with their fans.



Brazil Coach Ancelotti Sentenced to One-year Jail Term in Spain over Tax Fraud

(FILES) Brazil's football team new head coach, Italian Carlo Ancelotti, walks on arrival for his official presentation at a hotel in Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 26, 2025. (Photo by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)
(FILES) Brazil's football team new head coach, Italian Carlo Ancelotti, walks on arrival for his official presentation at a hotel in Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 26, 2025. (Photo by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)
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Brazil Coach Ancelotti Sentenced to One-year Jail Term in Spain over Tax Fraud

(FILES) Brazil's football team new head coach, Italian Carlo Ancelotti, walks on arrival for his official presentation at a hotel in Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 26, 2025. (Photo by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)
(FILES) Brazil's football team new head coach, Italian Carlo Ancelotti, walks on arrival for his official presentation at a hotel in Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 26, 2025. (Photo by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)

A Spanish court on Wednesday sentenced Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti to a one-year prison term for tax fraud when he was Real Madrid manager in 2014.

The Madrid court also fined Ancelotti €386,000 ($452,187).

Spanish prosecutors accused Ancelotti of defrauding the state of 1 million euros ($1 million) in 2014 and 2015. State prosecutors sought a prison sentence of up to four years and nine months on two counts of tax fraud.

In March 2024, they accused Ancelotti of having used shell companies to hide his true earnings. Prosecutors claimed Ancelotti, for example, used one company that lacked “any real (economic) activity” in the Virgin Islands as part of an alleged scheme.

Carlos Sánchez, Ancelotti’s press officer, told The Associated Press that the coach “will not make comments for now.”

Ancelotti is one of soccer’s most successful coaches. He is the only coach to have won the Champions League five times, three with Madrid and twice with AC Milan, and the only coach to have won domestic league titles in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.