Neymar (foto: Posnetek zaslona)
Neymar has revealed that Lionel Messi is considering playing in the semi-finals or final of the 2026 Kings League World Cup Nations, after personally asking about attending the tournament.
Lionel Messi could make a surprise appearance in a very unusual competition.
According to Neymar, the Argentine superstar is seriously considering playing in the Kings League World Cup Nations 2026, possibly in the semi-finals or the final.
The Kings League, founded by former Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué, is a seven-a-side competition with special rules, video-game-style twists and celebrity involvement. Several teams are chaired by global stars such as Neymar, Sergio Agüero and Robert Lewandowski.
“He wrote to me and asked if he could come”
Speaking on a podcast in Brazil, Neymar revealed that Messi has already been in touch.
“He wrote to me and asked if he could come. I told him I’d check if the booth was full. Messi might come,” Neymar said.
He also added that Messi is not just thinking about attending, but could even play a role in the decisive matches.
“He’s thinking about the possibility of playing in the semi-finals or the final,” Neymar hinted.
What is the Kings League?
The Kings League is not traditional football.
Matches are played seven-a-side, the ball is dropped from a cage at kick-off, and there are special cards and rules such as:
- Double goal cards
- Reverse penalties, where missing a penalty can actually bring a reward
- President’s penalty, which allows the team owners or presidents (often celebrities) to come onto the pitch and take a penalty themselves
The competition has already featured legendary names such as Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo, Andriy Shevchenko, Iker Casillas and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández.
Piqué and Agüero want Messi there
Gerard Piqué has never hidden his dream of bringing Messi to the competition.
“We’re trying to attract all the great legends from the world of traditional football. And Messi is the greatest of them all. Right now, he’s still active at Inter Miami, but when he retires, we might have the chance to invite him,” Piqué said previously.
Sergio Agüero echoed that idea.
“We haven’t spoken about it seriously yet. With the schedule and the distances, it’s complicated. But I hope one day he can play for us,” Agüero explained.
Messi’s main focus: the 2026 World Cup
For now, Messi is still focused on one big goal: the 2026 World Cup in North America.
He has not yet confirmed whether he will represent Argentina again, but he has admitted the desire is there.
“Obviously, I have so much desire and excitement to be there, but I want to go there feeling good about myself, so that I can contribute and be important,” Messi said in November.
He also spoke about the scale of the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
“It’s going to be a special World Cup. On an organisational level, it will be extraordinary, even though the trips will be very long. It would be wonderful to be able to be in another World Cup and defend the title we won in Qatar,” he added.
At the 2026 World Cup, Argentina are set to face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in the group stage, and before that, they will meet Spain in the Finalissima.
First World Cup… then Kings League?
Nothing is decided yet.
But the fact that Messi himself contacted Neymar shows that the idea of seeing the greatest footballer of his generation in the Kings League is no longer just a fantasy.
If it happens, it would be one of the most surreal and talked-about moments in modern football entertainment.