2026 World Cup. Will Cristiano Ronaldo play after the 2026 World Cup? Possible extension of his international career
With the confirmation that Cristiano Ronaldo will play at the Estadio Azteca against the Mexican national team in a friendly match to mark the reopening of the stadium, the name of Leo Messi is related to this event for one reason: he would be the only genius of world soccer who would be left without stepping on that stadium.
It will be on March 28, 2026, when Cristiano Ronaldo will take to the field at the Coloso de Santa Ursula. In doing so, he will become another of the historic footballers to play on the sacred turf of one of the sports venues that enshrined the two greatest players of the 20th century: Pele and Maradona. The Brazilian was world champion in 1970 and 'el Pelusa' in 1986.
In the 21st century, the two football monsters who seem to have come from another planet are the Portuguese and Messi. About the Portuguese, fans say that he needs to lift the World Cup with Portugal to become the best of all time. Regarding the Argentine, it is said that he only has as a pending debt to play in the same field that consecrated D10S, Diego Armando Maradona.
In the context of the debate between Maradona and Messi fans to define who is better, one parameter of their comparisons is playing at the Estadio Azteca. Diego's fans believe that in order to graduate to the Olympus it is necessary to do so with the Albiceleste jersey in a stadium of international stature.
Barring the outcome of the 2026 World Cup draw, and given Messi's current situation as an experienced player close to retirement, it seems that the star will not fulfill his destiny of playing with Argentina on that pitch.
The Argentine star has played three matches on Mexican soil, none of them with his national team. Only one was official and he did so as an Inter Miami player against Monterrey in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Leagues Cup in 2024.
The other two games in Mexico were friendly on a personal level. The first was in 2011 at the Estadio Azul for an exhibition match between retired and active footballers. The other was at the Estadio Andres Quintana Roo in Cancun for a charity match. So far, Leo has not played direct matches with his national team on Mexican soil, something that his predecessors on the throne of the kings of the ball did: Pele in 1970, Maradona in 1986 and Cristiano in 2026.