Messi nominates France, Spain and Brazil to win the 2026 World Cup
Argentina's Lionel Messi believes his country's fans are right to dream of winning a second World Cup title in a row , but at the same time warned of the strength of the opponents, saying teams such as France and Spain look "in a better position".
In an interview published on YouTube with journalist Beaulio Alvarez, the Argentina captain said: "There are many players who suffer from injuries or lack of physical fitness, but when the group comes together it has always proved that they are competitive and seek to win."
Messi, who has been crowned the Ballon d'Or 8 times, added that the competition will be very strong, noting that "France is in a great situation again, and has a large number of players at the highest level," referring to the team that lost to Argentina in the final of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Messi nominated Spain and Brazil to compete, describing Portugal as a "highly competitive team", stressing that Germany and England are always among the dangerous teams.
World Cup keeps America's participation in World Cup suspended
The 39-year-old Inter Miami star has not officially decided on his participation in the upcoming World Cup, scheduled between June 11 and July 19 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
However, Messi stressed that he does not set a time limit for his football career, in light of his continued passion for competition, and said: "I love playing football, and I will continue to do so until I am no longer able to play."
Messi added: "I'm a competitive person, I like to win everything... I don't even let my son beat me in video games."
3 Opening Concerts in Host Countries
The upcoming World Cup will witness 3 opening ceremonies, with each of the host countries, Mexico, the United States and Canada, getting its share of a star-studded celebration.
FIFA has confirmed that international music stars, including Katy Perry, Future, Alanis Morissette, Michael Bublé, Jay Balvin and Lisa, will take part in the celebrations.
Mexico will kick off the festivities 90 minutes before the opening match of the tournament between Mexico and South Africa kicks off on June 11 at the Estadio Astadi, which will be named "Stadium of Mexico City" during the tournament.
The show will feature international Colombian star J Balvin, multi-award-winning Mexican rock band Mana, and pop star Alejandro Fernández, son of ranchera legend Vicente Fernandez.
Mexican Latin pop star Belinda, singer-songwriter Lila Downs, South African singer Tayla and the Los Angeles band Assoulis perform traditional Mexican cumbia.
Canada will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in their opening match on June 12 in Toronto, where artists including Morissette, Bublé, Alicia Kara, Ileana, Jesse Reyes and Nora Fathy are scheduled to participate.
Later in the day, the United States opens its campaign against Paraguay in Los Angeles, in another mega sporting event that combines sports and music for global pop star Perry, who revived the 2015 Super Bowl parade.
She will be joined by rapper Future, Lisa of the Korean pop group Blackpink, and Brazilian stars Anita, Rima and Tayla, with additional names to be announced later, according to FIFA.
"The opening ceremony in Los Angeles represents the extraordinary scale that the 2026 World Cup will reach," Infantino said.
Other international artists who will contribute to the launch of the massive six-week football event include Venezuelan reggaeton star Danny Ocean and Sangui, a Bangladeshi-American musician based in Los Angeles.