Lionel Messi open to playing in 2026 World Cup

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 18, 2022 Argentina's Lionel Messi scores a penalty during a penalty shootout REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

After hoisting his first World Cup trophy with Argentina in December, Lionel Messi said that tournament would be his last, but now it appears he's open to the possibility of playing in the 2026 event.

"Because of age it'll be difficult to make 2026," Messi, 35, told Diario Ole, a sports newspaper in Argentina. "I love playing football and while I feel like I'm in good shape and enjoying this, I'm going to keep at it. It seems like a long time until the next World Cup, but it depends on how my career is going."