What’s next for Messi? Miami contract, 2026 FIFA World Cup, retirement

Lionel Messi’s travel astatine the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 has travel to an extremity aft Inter Miami were handed a 4-0 thumping by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) successful the tournament’s past 16.

Following their nonaccomplishment to the European champions connected Sunday, Inter Miami present bring their attraction backmost to Major League Soccer (MLS), wherever their run successful the Eastern Conference was enactment connected clasp during the Club World Cup successful the United States.

Messi volition proceed to pb successful his 3rd twelvemonth astatine Miami, but questions stay implicit his aboriginal plans with nine and country.

What did Messi accidental aft Miami’s nonaccomplishment to PSG?

While Messi failed to people successful the crippled dominated by PSG, helium had 1 header saved by the absorption goalkeeper and a escaped footwear that deed the goalpost.

Despite his frustration, Messi praised PSG by saying the effect was “expected”.

“The lucifer was what was expected,” helium told Latin American sports transmission DSports.

“They’re a large team, winners of the past Champions League, and they’re successful truly bully shape. It was the lucifer we expected. We tried to bash our best, and I deliberation we near a bully content astatine the Club World Cup.”

Much to his fans’ disappointment, Messi did not people a extremity against PSG [Dale Zanine/Imagn Images via Reuters]

When is Messi’s adjacent lucifer for Inter Miami?

Miami entered the Club World Cup connected the ground of their top-placed decorativeness successful the Eastern Conference successful 2024 and volition resume their league enactment with a travel to Montreal connected Sunday.

It is unclear whether Messi volition commencement the crippled oregon volition beryllium rested by manager Javier Mascherano aft his Argentinian compatriot started and finished each of Miami’s games astatine the tournament.

Will Messi enactment astatine Inter Miami aft 2025?

The nine captain’s declaration astatine Miami runs retired astatine the extremity of 2025, and portion helium has not committed his aboriginal openly to the US team, Miami’s owners are hopeful of extending Messi’s stay.

Jorge Mas, the club’s co-owner, on with member Jose and erstwhile footballer David Beckham, has expressed optimism implicit Messi’s future.

“My imagination would beryllium for the fig 10 [Messi] to inaugurate our caller stadium successful March [2026],” Jorge told ESPN.

However, helium was speedy to relinquish power of the concern by saying the determination “rests connected Messi”.

“We privation for Messi to decorativeness his vocation here. I said a fewer months agone that we should person quality successful the summertime astir that, but hopefully it volition beryllium arsenic soon arsenic possible. We’re conscionable waiting to beryllium capable to springiness the fans the bully quality astir Lionel Messi.”

Fans wearing Messi shirts thronged the venue for Inter Miami’s past 16 lucifer astatine the Club World Cup, June 29, 2025 [Amanda Perobelli/Reuters]

How overmuch does Messi gain astatine Inter Miami?

Messi is, by far, the best-paid footballer successful the MLS.

Arguably the top ever fig 10 successful football, the guardant is acceptable to gain $20.4m successful guaranteed compensation successful 2025, with a basal wage of $12m.

Will Messi instrumentality to Barcelona?

The Argentinian joined the Catalan nine arsenic an academy signee astatine the property of 13 and near it successful tears arsenic 1 of its top ever players successful 2021.

Following his determination to the US successful 2023, Messi opened up astir his affectional enslaved with Barcelona, saying helium could not articulation different European club.

“After the World Cup, I couldn’t spot myself successful different European squad that wasn’t Barca,” Messi said earlier this year. “My extremity was to travel backmost to my home, wherever everything started. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.”

However, with Barcelona expected to settee the last $7m instalment of their fiscal indebtedness owed to Messi connected Monday, reports accidental the nine could effort to lure him backmost to the spot Messi erstwhile called “home”.

Barcelona are waiting for Messi to spot retired his declaration astatine Miami earlier bringing him backmost aft the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to Argentinian shot writer Maximiliano Grillo.

Neither the nine nor Messi’s representatives person commented connected the imaginable fairytale return.

Lionel Messi was successful tears astatine his last quality league astatine FC Barcelona connected August 8, 2021 [Albert Gea/Reuters]

Will Messi play successful the FIFA World Cup 2026?

The 38-year-old led Argentina to their 3rd and his archetypal FIFA World Cup crown successful Qatar successful 2022.

While the South American giants person qualified for the adjacent variation – co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US – Messi has neither committed nor chopped ties with La Albiceleste successful the run-up to the tournament.

He was portion of the squad arsenic they began the qualification process, but injuries kept the shot large retired of enactment successful the past fewer matches.

Argentina’s manager Lionel Scaloni believes determination is “plenty of time” to instrumentality a telephone connected Messi’s aboriginal successful planetary football.

“We indispensable spell 1 crippled astatine a time, different [we] volition beryllium speaking astir the aforesaid happening the remainder of the year, and we request to permission him alone. We volition see,” Scaloni said of Messi’s aboriginal successful March.

“He volition determine it whenever helium wants. Let’s not thrust him brainsick with this.”

Messi’s teammates, though, were precise wide astir their wishes.

“With Messi, we mightiness person scored 2 oregon 3 much goals,” Julian Alvarez said aft Argentina’s 4-1 triumph implicit Brazil successful the qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Rodrigo de Paul echoed Messi’s Argentinian and planetary fans’ sentiments erstwhile helium said: “The champion of our teams is ever erstwhile the fig 10 is playing due to the fact that helium is the top of each time.”

Will Messi travel Ronaldo to Saudi Pro League?

Messi’s sanction was archetypal linked to the Saudi Pro League erstwhile his determination to permission PSG surfaced successful aboriginal 2023, but the news was swiftly quashed arsenic helium signed a woody with Miami.

Now, with the subordinate nearing the extremity of different contract, the rumour mill has resurfaced.

However, fixed the Messi family’s settled manner successful the Sunshine State, his proximity to Argentina and his nation’s upcoming rubric defence astatine a FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the US, Saudi Arabia seems similar a distant destination for the large who is inching person to his retirement.

Messi and Ronaldo came face-to-face successful Saudi Arabia erstwhile his then-club PSG played against Ronaldo’s Al Nassr successful the Riyadh Season Cup connected January 19, 2023 [File: Franck Fife/AFP]

Is Messi going to retire?

After Inter Miami’s crushing 4-0 nonaccomplishment to PSG connected Sunday and exit from the tournament, Messi did not denote a timeline for retirement, either with Inter Miami oregon Argentina.

Messi did hint earlier successful the Club World Cup, that his clip connected the planetary signifier whitethorn beryllium coming to an end.

“I’m conscious that I’m playing my last matches and I’m enjoying them to the maximum,” Messi said aft Miami’s radical lucifer triumph against Porto connected June 19. “I’m definite that you’re watching my last moments successful football’s elite.”