Messi on the brink of history: Could Sunday be his last World Cup

Argentina are one win away from sporting immortality. Lionel Scaloni's side are bidding to become just the third team to win successive World Cups, after Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962). To defeat European champions Spain in Sunday's final, they will need Lionel Messi to be at his best once again.

Whether Messi is the greatest of all time is a matter of debate, but his place among the elite is undisputed. A victory on Sunday would make him the first captain to lift the World Cup trophy twice. After perhaps underwhelming in his first four tournaments, he was outstanding in 2022 as Argentina won the title, and he is now just one goal behind Kylian Mbappe in the race to become the World Cup's all-time leading scorer.

Remarkably, Messi initially retired from international football in 2016 before changing his mind. Sunday's final will be his 34th World Cup appearance, but it may not be his last. BBC Sport examines what might be next for the Argentine star and whether he could aim to play at a seventh World Cup in 2030.

Will Messi's passion take him to the 2030 World Cup?

If Messi continues with Argentina until 2030, he would become the oldest outfield player to appear at a World Cup at age 43—unless Cristiano Ronaldo opts to keep going for Portugal. Beyond adding another record to his long list, Messi would have the chance to play in one of the centenary matches held in Argentina at the start of the next World Cup.

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague believes fans have not seen the last of Messi at the World Cup. "Even if you hear it is the end, I doubt it but we'll see. I just see him with the national side, simply because he enjoys it," Balague said. "I don't see him being at Inter Miami in the MLS, still performing and then saying that's it and he's going to play out the rest of his career with Inter Miami."

Messi's sensational 2026 World Cup campaign

Messi's 2026 World Cup has been nothing short of sensational. He has scored eight goals in seven games—two behind tournament top scorer Mbappe—and has carried Argentina into the final with a series of virtuoso performances. Argentina boss Scaloni hailed Messi as the greatest player ever, saying: "He is history, a legend. I feel proud, he is the best footballer the world has ever seen and reaching a final at 39 is something unbelievable—and that is why I said we must enjoy him. With Diego Maradona, we still miss him but Messi is still with us so we must enjoy him. I have no idea if this is Leo's last game, you will have to ask him. We haven't discussed it."

His displays in North America continue a remarkable late-career resurgence for Messi at World Cups. Fifteen of his 21 tournament goals have come since his 35th birthday. Having already lifted the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, Messi has shown the motivation to keep going in 2026. The question is whether that continues to 2030.

"I feel that he hasn't said the last word yet," Balague added. "He finishes games, 120-minute games, at 39. In the first 90 minutes against Cape Verde, he covered 6.5km and 62% of that is walking. You can add a bit more walking. The passion is still there. All of that means he's not going to leave the national side."

Home crowd allure

There is also the factor of Messi playing at a World Cup in front of a home crowd. The 2030 World Cup will have six host nations. While the majority of matches will take place in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, at least one game will be played in each of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. A world stage game in front of an Argentine crowd may be too much for Messi to resist.

Messi himself hinted that the 2022 final would be his international swansong, but his continued presence in 2026 suggests otherwise. Whether Sunday marks his final World Cup appearance remains uncertain, but his legacy is already secure.