Messi Prepares for What Could Be His Final World Cup Run

Argentina have set up camp in Kansas City ahead of their World Cup opener against Algeria, scheduled for Tuesday night into Wednesday, and the mood around Lionel Scaloni’s squad is calm, confident and unusually relaxed. While Kansas City was hit by stormy June weather, Argentina’s training base felt isolated from the noise, a striking contrast to the pressure the team carried in Qatar four years ago.

The article says Argentina have changed deeply since winning the 2022 World Cup. The squad now feels like a champion team on a second summer together, less burdened by expectation and perhaps even more dangerous. Seventeen players from the Qatar title team remain, while younger names such as Nico Paz, Thiago Almada and Valentin Barco are being integrated smoothly. Messi, who arrived with a nagging hamstring injury, missed the warmup against Honduras but gradually returned, scored against Iceland and put the medical staff at ease.

Scaloni is described as keeping the camp quiet and disciplined, with no grand declarations. He said, “We already know him and know what he is worth,” referring to Messi, and added, “It does not surprise anyone that he is here. He keeps wanting more, and you can see that hunger in every training session.” Messi is set to play his sixth World Cup at age 38, and the team treats him as a constant rather than a question.

There was one setback, defender Leonardo Balerdi was dropped from the squad because of injury, and Tottenham’s Marcos Senesi was called up as a replacement after flying in from Ibiza. Argentina beat Honduras 2-0 and Iceland 3-0 in their warmup matches, and the article frames the team’s main triumph as psychological, not just athletic. With Algeria looming, the piece suggests this may be Messi’s last World Cup, and Argentina are determined to enjoy and extend the run.