Luis Suarez reveals Lionel Messi's 2026 World Cup stance as Inter Miami superstars 'talk jokingly' about retirement

Suarez was speaking exclusively to Ovacion earlier this week. The Uruguayan was asked if he and Messi talk openly about retirement. The long-time teammates talk about the subject "jokingly", replied Suarez. The 38-year-old then revealed that Messi still has the drive to represent Argentina on the biggest stage, perhaps even through to the 2026 World Cup in North America.

Messi was absent from Argentina's recent World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Uruguay, as he was nursing an abdominal injury. Persistent fitness issues have led to speculation over the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's international future, but Suarez feels his Miami colleague still wants to be part of La Albiceleste's global title defence next year.

When asked if he and Messi talk about when they will both retire from football, Suarez, who stepped down from Uruguay duty last year, said: "No, yes, we often talk jokingly, but he also has that desire to play in next year's World Cup.

"Obviously, after being away from the national team for a bit, that's becoming less of a problem for me than for him, but we haven't talked about it yet. Yes, we can talk about it here, when we're older, we can make the decision, but we haven't really talked about it in detail."

Messi and Suarez could both feature again for Inter Miami when they take on the Columbus Crew in MLS this weekend. The longtime teammates will also be looking ahead to their semi-final tie in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Inter Miami are set to face the Vancouver Whitecaps over two legs, with the away tie kicking off on the 24th April.