Messi and Ronaldo set for record sixth World Cup runs

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will step into the 2026 World Cup on parallel tracks that may never cross again. Both are headed to a record sixth tournament, and Ronaldo has said his appearance will “definitely” be his last, turning Argentina and Portugal’s opening matches into the start of a possible farewell tour for two players who have defined international soccer for more than two decades.

Argentina will open against Algeria on 17 June 2026 at Kansas City Stadium, while Portugal will face Congo DR the same day at Houston Stadium. FIFA’s schedule puts Argentina in Group J with Algeria, Austria and Jordan, and Portugal in Group K with Congo DR, Uzbekistan and Colombia, giving both teams a route into the expanded knockout phase that could still bring the sport’s most famous rivalry to a World Cup stage for the first time.

Messi and Ronaldo arrive with records already secured. Ronaldo has 22 World Cup appearances and eight goals, while Messi has played in 26 World Cup matches, more than any other player. At Qatar 2022, Messi scored seven goals, added three assists and won the Golden Ball as Argentina completed its title run, a reminder of how central he remains to the defending champions’ push to stay on top. FIFA has also included Guillermo Ochoa among the headline names for the tournament.

The stakes are especially sharp for Argentina. Lionel Scaloni’s squad will arrive as the defending champions, and FIFA has framed the Algeria opener as a chance for Messi and his teammates to “lay down a title marker.” Algeria will try to spoil that plan with Riyad Mahrez and Luca Zidane in a squad built to test the holders in their first-ever World Cup meeting.

Portugal comes in with its own burden and its own opportunity. The team qualified by topping UEFA Group F, and FIFA says Ronaldo and company are chasing the nation’s first World Cup title. In the first 48-team World Cup, with 104 matches spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico, the field is larger than ever, and so is the possibility that Messi and Ronaldo could still meet on the sport’s biggest stage one last time.

Whether that showdown comes or not, the 2026 tournament is already set to mark the end of an era. Messi and Ronaldo have spent it raising standards, bending attention and turning every major competition into a referendum on greatness. Their exits will leave room for the next generation, but not a void that can be filled easily.