Messi Excludes Ronaldo’s Portugal from His 2026 World Cup Favourites

Lionel Messi has made it clear that defending the World Cup title in 2026 will be an immense challenge for Argentina, acknowledging that several strong contenders are capable of posing serious threats. Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal does not feature on Messi’s list of favourites.

The last time a team won back-to-back World Cups was more than six decades ago, when Brazil lifted the trophy in 1958 and 1962. Argentina now have the opportunity to emulate that historic achievement, though Messi has admitted that the path will be anything but easy.

In 2022, France came close to retaining the title but were denied in a dramatic final by Argentina. Once again, France enter the upcoming tournament as one of the leading contenders. Messi also considers several other sides to be particularly dangerous, yet Portugal remains conspicuously absent from his assessment, a point that has attracted considerable attention towards the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Speaking to ESPN, Messi said: ‘Spain, France again, England, Brazil—who have not won a title for many years—and Germany are all very strong teams. It is extremely difficult. But we are going to fight, we are going to give everything.’

Meanwhile, Brazilian legend Bebeto commented: ‘Argentina will enter this World Cup strongly. They are in a better position than Brazil.’

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