Lionel Messi continues to take the soccer world by storm at the age of 39.
The Argentinean soccer great will be aiming for his second consecutive World Cup when Argentina faces the favorites, Spain, in the World Cup Final on Sunday. Argentina’s run has been nothing short of remarkable, highlighted by a number of big-time Messi moments throughout the tournament.
In this 2026 World Cup alone, Messi has racked up a hat trick performance against Algeria, overcome a 2-0 deficit against Egypt and more recently racked up two assists in overcoming a late deficit against England.
There are major questions as to whether or not this will be Messi’s last World Cup, but Team USA great and former Los Angeles Galaxy star Cobi Jones is making a bold prediction — he believes Messi will suit up for the 2030 World Cup due to the tournament taking place early on in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
“This is the most interesting thing here — everyone’s like, ‘Okay, how long is Messi gonna go? Is this it?’ I’m thinking, I’m thinking, and don’t put this on Kalshi or Polymark or any of those, but I’m thinking he’s gonna be involved in the next World Cup squad somehow, some way,” said Jones in a one-on-one interview with Heavy Sports. “Because the next World Cup in 2030, everyone’s got to remember it starts in Uruguay and Argentina. Then it goes to Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. I think they may roll him out in a wheelchair if they need to to say that Lionel Messi is a part of it, especially if he gets a second World Cup win.”
Jones brings up a legitimate point in that the 2030 World Cup taking place in his home country of Argentina could very well lure Messi into playing yet another World Cup, even though he’ll turn 43 years old during that tournament. While four years is a long way out, the fact that Messi has proven to be arguably the top player in this year’s tournament illustrates that he could still be capable of playing at a high level in 2030.
Cobi Jones on 2026 World Cup Final Prediction Between Spain-Argentina
When it comes to winning his second World Cup, Messi faces a tall task on his hands as he faces a dominant Spain squad that has given up just one goal in the tournament. Jones gives the edge to Spain and believes it’ll be an uphill battle for the Messi-led Argentina squad to beat them.
“I think Spain will dictate the pace of the game just because of their possession-oriented tactics,” said Jones. “I think if Argentina continues to do what they’ve done in a lot of these games, where they fall behind early on, I think it’s going to be a different animal trying to get back into the game against the Spanish side that doesn’t change their tactics no matter what. I’m giving the edge here slightly to Spain in this circumstance because of all of those things, and probably the biggest one that I left last on purpose — they’ve only given up one goal the entirety of the tournament.”
When asked what a second World Cup and an upset win over Spain will do for Messi’s legacy, Jones said it’ll just further cement him as the G.O.A.T.
“Just solidifies him more as the G.O.A.T.,” said Jones. “I mean that’s that’s where it really comes down to. He is just a remarkable player that you you really can’t compare to others, and I think we’re all fortunate to be able to see him play here in the United States. A lot of people are seeing him still at Miami playing, but what he’s done during this World Cup, especially the last game against England when it was time to turn it on, he turned it on, and some of the balls that he was playing and the passes and getting the two assists in the game, it just shows that at his age, that he is at the top of this game. He’s just such a skillful player being able to compete against all these youngsters and we’ll see what his quote unquote protege in the Lamine Yamal can do.”
Cobi Jones Teams With Panini America for 2026 World Cup Sticker Collection Release
Leading into the 2026 World Cup Final, Jones is partnering with Panini America for their FIFA World Cup 2026 Sticker Album which features 48 teams and 980 players. It’s the largest Panini has ever produced and is available in retail stores such as Walmart, Target and Walgreens.
“The Panini sticker collection is amazing,” said Jones. “What I love about it, you can collect the cards, you can collect the stickers, all these different avenues of getting more involved in the World Cup. That’s the way I look at it. Because the World Cup, it’s the games, it’s the fandom and all of that. This gives you a whole another avenue to really enjoy football and the World Cup by collecting the different stickers to get you more involved. Learning new players, learning backgrounds of players and teams.”
Jones — who is regarded as one of the best players in MLS and Galaxy history — said it’s always been special for him to sign cards of his playing days for hobbyists.
“Being able to see yourself in the arena of something that as a kid you enjoyed, you’re able to pass it on where you’re just kind of like, ‘Hey, look at me, I’m on this,'” said Jones. “Signing those cards and stickers constantly through the years has been fantastic. For me it’s special because I get to pass it on to my kids now as they collect and they’ve seen the Panini stickers through these these last years and joining in on the fun. Every once in a while, they get some of those old school legends makes it a joy for them.”
Team USA Great Makes Bold Lionel Messi Prediction for 2030 World Cup