Messi's Last World Cup
One More Dream for Latin America

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The 2026 World Cup has begun across the United States, Canada and Mexico — the largest edition ever, with 48 teams. And one player draws the eye. Lionel Messi. When he faces Algeria in Kansas City on June 16, he will be past 38, and this is almost certainly his last World Cup.

The Voices of the South at the Opening

The June 11 opening ceremony filled Mexico City's Azteca Stadium, with Shakira, J Balvin (Colombia), Danny Ocean (Venezuela), and Mexico's Mana and Lila Downs. Voices from South America and the Caribbean layered over the start of a North American tournament — less stagecraft than the continent's own diversity placed directly onto the stage.

Ten Teams, and the Depth Behind Them

Ten teams come from Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, Haiti and Curacao. Curacao stands out — a small Dutch Caribbean island of about 150,000 people, reaching its first World Cup and facing Germany in Philadelphia on June 14.

An "Before and After Messi" America

Since Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, football culture in the U.S. South has genuinely shifted. Youth academies near Miami grew their enrollment by 60%, and outside South America, the United States is said to be the biggest market for Argentina's jersey. If the 2022 title in Qatar was the finishing touch on the legend, this tournament fills in the margins.

Let me add something I have felt. Living in Latin America, you sense where football sits in daily life. Argentina's economy is still hard; even as inflation eases under the Milei government, many people speak of the strain. And yet the World Cup fever is something else. The single idea of defending the world title can soften, if only briefly, the sense of being stuck in politics. Football working as a safety valve for national feeling is common across much of this continent. Not a criticism — just something that has taken root.

On a North American Stage

The hosts are the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Amid the tension in the U.S.-Mexico relationship between the Trump and Sheinbaum governments, pulling off this tournament across three countries carries political weight in itself. That singers from South America, the Caribbean and Africa lined up at the opening was not unrelated to diplomatic care. Until Messi leaves the pitch, the region's fans are allowed to dream of the summit one more time.

Until the day he leaves the pitch, the region is allowed to dream of the summit one more time — and that heat makes the weight of reality a little lighter.

※ This article is the author’s commentary based on public information. Please confirm the latest figures, dates and procedures with governments and primary sources. Quotations are kept minimal and sources are cited.