Soccer fans have their eyes set on the new edition of the World Cup in 2026. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and Lionel Messi’s Argentina national team will defend its title.
However, the Albiceleste captain has not yet confirmed his participation in this tournament, but if he decides to do so, Thomas Müller has issued a warning.
Messi could change “the whole balance of Argentina”
Leo has already participated in five World Cups, the last of which was his great success in Qatar 2022. After defeating France on penalties in the final, Argentina was crowned champion, a feat it had not achieved since 1986.
Despite this, Lionel has repeatedly stated that he still has doubts about his participation in the 2026 tournament, saying that he will evaluate his condition day by day.
If he decides to participate, not only would he become one of only two players in soccer history (along with Cristiano Ronaldo) to play in six World Cups, but he would also be decisive. Or so Thomas Müller believes.
The Vancouver Whitecaps star said that Argentina is “at the top” of his list of favorites to win and shared his opinion on whether or not Messi will participate in this competition:
“It would be an interesting project, from my point of view, if he were there. That could, of course, change the whole balance of the team, for better or for worse,” Müller told Magenta TV.
These words were not taken lightly, as Müller and Messi have faced each other eleven times. In these encounters, the German won seven of them, the most notable being Bayern’s 8-2 victory over Barça and the 1-0 win in the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil, as well as the 4-0 win in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Meanwhile, Thomas lost four of them, the most recent being last Saturday, December 6, at Chase Stadium, when Inter Miami beat the Whitecaps 3-1 to become MLS champions for the first time in their history.
Now, looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, Müller, who has retired from the German national team, said that Germany must get through the first group stage: “At first glance, when you read the names of the opponents, of course it’s a must to get through,” although he warned that he doesn’t know much about Curacao.
“With Ivory Coast, we have the African champions, and with Ecuador, we have the runners-up from the South American qualifying round. But if we take into account that the eight best third-place teams from the 12 groups also advance to the next round, advancing is once again a must,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi’s Argentina national team is in Group J, alongside Austria, Algeria, and Jordan, and will make its debut against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16. It will then face Austria on Monday, June 22, and Jordan on Friday, June 26.
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