Messi faces England for first time as Waddle predicts 2026 World Cup will be his last

Lionel Messi will face England for the first and potentially last time in his career when Argentina meet the Three Lions in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final, with former Premier League winger Chris Waddle among those who believe the 39-year-old will not be present as a player at the 2030 edition.

Messi has been in exceptional form throughout the tournament, scoring eight goals in six games and adding two assists to sit level with Kylian Mbappé at the top of the Golden Boot standings. Mbappé leads on the assist tiebreaker, having provided three to Messi’s two.

Waddle, speaking to 10bet, was unequivocal about Messi’s international future. “No, I don’t think he’ll play [at the 2030 World Cup],” he said. “He was back and forth about this tournament, saying he wasn’t sure if he wanted to play or if he was committed to it, before changing his mind toward the end of the season.”

“The thing I like about Messi is he knows his limitations. If he thought the team would be better off without him, he would stand aside. I’d be very surprised if you see him at the next World Cup as a player. You may see him there as an Argentine ambassador, but not on the pitch. You’re talking four more years — no, this will be his last World Cup.”

Messi would be 43 by the time the 2030 tournament arrives, two years older than Cristiano Ronaldo was when he featured at this summer’s edition. Ronaldo confirmed his retirement from international duty after Portugal’s 1-0 Round-of-32 defeat to Spain, ending his career without a World Cup winner’s medal.

For Messi, the stakes could hardly be higher. Argentina are chasing back-to-back World Cup titles for the first time since Brazil achieved the feat in 1962, and a win over England on Wednesday would put them in the final.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham sit just behind Messi and Mbappé in the Golden Boot race on six goals each, setting up a semi-final that pits four of the world’s most decorated players against one another. In a notable first, FIFA’s top four-ranked nations have all reached the semi-finals, a consequence of the tennis-style draw designed to keep them apart until the latter stages.